Oh, he’s “bad” alright.
Splashed all over the news for the past few days, we have seen little else that Michael Jackson. How he lived, how he died, how important he was, what he meant to everyone.. yada, yada.
Surprisingly, it seems as if most of the world is in shock - as if it were their son, brother, or father that died.
And, I have to ask… why?
We lost some great people this week - Ed McMahon for one. Did you know that he was a fighter pilot in WWII and he received six air medals? Or that he had six children, one of which died of cancer in 1995?
What about Farrah Fawcett? Were you aware of how active she was with the National Domestic Violence Line and the American Cancer Society?
And, Billy Mays.
Michael Jackson may have had an impact in pop culture when he was younger, but, and this is a huge but, does anyone remember the boys? How many lives did he corrupt?
Which is a huge point of contention for me.
But, take this one step further… we have babies that die every year. Was their life celebrated like a rock star?
What about our brave men & women soldiers fighting for our freedom - the same freedom that allows these people to become celebrities? Are their lives celebrated like a rock star?
The sad truth is that in our society, we have become programmed to celebrate the lives of those who have a lot of money, or are famous. When in fact, it is those who are not famous that have made the most impact in this world.
Say “uncle”
This weekend was jam packed with lots of great fun. My brother came down from Kansas City on Saturday, and we had lots of great fun with him. They swam, we had a joint birthday dinner party (Kaitlyn & he are only four days apart, and we celebrated early), go karts, arcades, and more swimming - phew! I got some great snapshots, and I’ll let them do the talking.
Please note the pink floaties
Water in the face goes both ways
He put Amanda’s Little Mermaid outfit on - flippers, goggles… couldn’t get a good pic of the final product
You can never be too old for a “Cars” cake
She wanted “Groovy Girls”. Think she noticed the difference?
Answering Amanda
Katie got a watch too. It was a theme I guess.
How do you set the time? I can’t read Arabic, can you?
“Psh… who needs a birthday present, anyway?”
“Uncle”
Oh it’s on, sistah!
Amanda was his spotter
My bro’s friend, Nicole - the kids begged me if she could be their aunt. She is awesome with the kids.
That was fun, mom! But, your not supposed to bump, mommy - its against the rules! (oops)
She refused to ride with anyone else. Uncle is ‘da man.
Right before she nailed a chipmunk - it recovered, though. I think.
See? They were joined at the hip - she wanted to go back home with him. Indefinitely.
Totally loved Nicole, and you can see it in her face.
Because ya just hafta
Twice.
Broken body, spirit is whole
I want you to meet Beatrice*. She has a story that needs to be told. And, because she doesn’t have a voice, I am going to tell it. Well, at least what we know.
There has never been a day of my life where animal(s) were not a part of it. Even down here in Missouri, though I am away from my babies, I still have my dad’s to love on. Or the myriad of dogs, puppies, cats & kittens that my Aunt is currently fostering. And, I believe without exception, every time we are down here, I ask Mr. P no less than a few times to bring someone home.
I get very angry when I see animals treated poorly. I get upset when people cross my path who don’t value animals as I do - though, I understand everyone has different opinions. When Rocky was hit by the car two years ago, more times than not, people just did not understand why we didn’t put him down - why we would invest so much money (that we are still paying on, ahem) in a mere dog.
Because they are valued. Because they have no voice. Because we are descendents of Adam who(m?) was designated with the task of caring for, and naming all the animals on this Earth. Because they deserve to be treated with love, kindness, and respect.
Beatrice is a 3 year old Benji-type dog. As far as we can tell, for at least the last year, she has been living in a sewage lagoon, though it has most likely been most of her life. She is spayed - which indicates she once had a home. When picked up a few days ago, she had a broken front leg, and full of ticks.
1000 tick bites scar this girl’s body - no joke.
She has some teeth that have been broken.
Her front right leg is scheduled to be amputated on Tuesday.
Friends of Animals in Eldon, Missouri are scraping up the money to get this much needed surgery done. They care enough for animals that they are willing to sacrifice so this dog, who has known very little love, can at least have the rest of her life in a home where she is warm every night with a full tummy.
You would think that a dog like this would have a broken spirit.
But, I can assure you, she does not.
Her injury doesn’t even phase her - she runs around with a gimp, but runs around just the same. Her eyes are bright with expectation, with warmth.
I know with every fiber of my being that this little girl will have a home that will give her all the love and warmth that she has been missing thus far.
*Beatrice has no name yet - but, I couldn’t stand to refer to her as “some dog”.
If you are interested in donating to the Friends of Animals in Eldon, Missouri, email me and I can get you in touch with them, or visit their page on PetFinder for their contact information.
