Letters to Russian Officials

Hello, and welcome back, my beautiful readers. I hope that life is treating you OK. Y'all probably have your ups and downs, but through it all, we find things in life that bring us happiness and joy. All around me, as I look upon Creation, (#JehovahsCreationIsAwesome) I continually find things to be happy about. I hope the same is for you as well.

Along with the happiness, there is sadness, and it is this sadness that has brought me to the point of writing this blog that you're reading now. It's all about choice. There are many choices we make throughout our day, week, month, year, and lifetime - things like what to eat, wear, read, watch, listen to or where to go, live, vacation - and aren't we glad we get to choose instead of being told - things like what to eat, wear, read, watch, listen to or where to go, live, vacation -

Sometime last week, the following came across my desk via Messenger:

MARCH 21, 2017

RUSSIA

Jehovah’s Witnesses Mobilize Global Response to Threat of Ban in Russia

Now, I had known for quite some time that my fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ were undergoing persecution from Russian Official due to the the fact that their religion of choice is Jehovah's Witnesses and the God they choose to worship is Jehovah. It has been a matter of prayer in our congregation as well as other congregations throughout the world. It is quite troubling to hear that the law of the land that you live in, as with those in Russian, for instance, could be changed to make it illegal, yes illegal, to worship. 

The following is taken from jw.org:

On March 15, 2017, 

Russia’s Ministry of Justice filed a claim with the 

Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to label 

the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia 

as extremist and liquidate it. The claim also seeks to 

ban the activities of the Administrative Center. 

Can you just imagine, my beautiful readers, if the religion of your choice were to be against the law! It is for the reason that - Russia's Ministry of Justice filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to label Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia as extremist and liquidate it - that I joined millions of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ in writing to the Russian officials to request their intervention in the hope that the Russian authorities will stop the legal action being taken against the branch office and the congregations in Russia so the my Brothers and Sisters can continue to gather peacefully for Christian meetings without interference.

I don't think this is an unreasonable request. After all, it was Jehovah himself that first gave mankind the choice. Think about it, Jehovah gave Adam and Eve the choice to choose 'to, or not to, eat from the tree in the center of the garden' and Jehovah also gave the choice to 'worship him or not' to the Israelites when they were brought up out from underneath the oppressive hand of Egypt. These are just two of many instances where our Creator, Jehovah God, has given us the choice to worship him or worship other gods.

With that appreciation, that gift of 'Freedom of Choice' given to us by our Loving Grand Creator, Jehovah God, and the request of the Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, that I chose to speak up in behalf of my fellow Brothers and Sisters in Russia, and following the instructions, (which are easily downloadable) on the does and don'ts, I made this a matter of prayer, sat down with a hot cup of coffee, my laptop, furbabies all around me, and proceeded to write letters to the Russian officials, pleading for their intervention.

Then last Friday, I carried my letters to my local post office, paid for postage, and mail my letters. It was quite something for me to do as I have NEVER written to a President of a country, and here, I just mailed a letter to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.








President of Russia
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
23 Ilyinka Str.
Moscow
103132
RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Not only did I write to the President of Russia, I also wrote a letter to:

Prime Minister of Russia
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
2 Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya
Moscow
103274
RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Prosecutor General 
Yury Yakovlevich Chayka
Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation
15A Bolshaya Dmitrovka Str.
Moscow
GSP-3
125993
RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Minister of Justice
Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov
Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation
14 Zhitnaya Str.
Moscow
GSP-1
119991
RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square
Moscow
119200
RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Chairman of the Supreme Court
Viacheslav Mikhailovich Lebedev
Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
15 Povarskaya Str.
Moscow
121069
RUSSIAN FEDERATION

(Only once did I write a letter of petition to a Judge, and that was here in Hardin County, Kentucky, USA. Now, here I am writing to 6 Russian Officials!!!)

With a picture taken of my letters prior to mailing, I took to Social Media to express why I wrote the letters. The following is what I posted:

Freedom of religion, it should be everyone's right.

I am so glad I live in a country where we are allowed freedom to choose our own religion. Not all on the created planted are as fortunate. It is for that reason that I have made this a matter of prayer and sat down at my laptop and wrote 6 letters to Russian Officials, to include Vladimir Putin, pleading for them to allow my Brothers and Sisters in Christ the freedom to unrestricted worship of the god of their choice, Jehovah God. On April 5th, the Russian Courts will rule on a motion submitted to the courts to outlaw and ban Jehovah’s Witnesses, making the practice of this religion illegal. All Jehovah’s Witnesses were encouraged by the Governing Body to write to 6 different Russian Government Officials pleading them to rule in favor of freedom of religion. I know many of my friends that have done that very thing. I hope Russian gets bags and bags of mail. 

I can't imagine what it is like to live in a country where one is restricted in the matters of choice. I truly am grateful E.V.E.R.Y.... D.A.Y. that I have freedom of choice. I also can't imagine what it would be like if the laws in the country I reside in were to be changed and it would be illegal to worship the God of my choice, Jehovah. As many of my faithful readers know, I was not always one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I was raised in a different religion, and many years into my life, I engaged in an in-depth study of the Bible, Jehovah God's word, and from the pages of the Bible itself, I recognized that the truth was there all along, I just needed Jehovah's people to help me find out for myself, in the Bible. It was for that reason that I CHOSE to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses!

Please, allow me to also share with you the letter I sent.

Mr. _______,

I am writing you this letter to request your intervention in a matter of greatest concern. On March 15, 2017, the Ministry of Justice in Russia filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation seeking “to declare the religious organization, the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, extremist, ban its activity, and liquidate it.” I sincerely hope that the Russian authorities will stop the legal action being taken against the branch office and the congregations in Russia so that Jehovah’s Witnesses can continue to gather peacefully for Christian meetings without interference. I have great appreciation for the laws of the Russian government that guarantee freedom of religion to all citizens. I am also fearful that a decision by the Supreme Court in favor of this claim will have dire consequences for all of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia to include that the Administrative Center and 400 local legal entities used to own or rent Kingdom Halls would be dissolved, resulting in the seizing by the State the branch property in St. Petersburg and Kingdom Halls throughout the country. I also fear that each of the more than 170,000 Witnesses could be criminally prosecuted merely for meeting for worship, reading the Bible together, or talking to others about their faith.

Russia’s “Federal Law on Extremist Activity” is being misapplied to Jehovah’s Witnesses there in Russia. I am sure you can appreciate that Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to be good citizens. We are known world wide for our peaceful activities, and under no circumstances would we ever resort to any activity that could legitimately be construed as “extremist” or criminal in nature.

Also, Mr. _______, the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the publications that we produce encourage love of God and neighbor, love for family, and respect for government. With these positive qualities in mind, it can be said that there is absolutely nothing “extremist” or criminal in such Bible-based publications. I would like to share with you the personal fact that because of these meetings and publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses, our family has benefited greatly. We have personally experienced and practice love for our God, Jehovah, love for our family, and as always, respect for government.

Please allow me to conclude by reiterating that it is my hope that you will intervene in behalf of the March 15, 2017 claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation seeking “to declare the religious organization, the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, extremist, ban its activity, and liquidate it” and please allow them to continue to live peaceably, worship freely, practice love for their God and mine, Jehovah, while always having respect for government.

Thank you so much for your time in this matter.

Sincerely,

Deborah Clark

Cecilia, Ky., U.S.A.

I hold nothing back as I finish this post up and tell you how I feel about it. As I just text a dear friend "This is a subject that is close to my heart as I am thankful I live in a country where we are free to chose."

How about you, what do you think about making religion illegal?
What would you do if your religion was ban?
Would your faith in your god be strong enough to sustain you if now your worship was illegal?

Please, I would love to hear what you think. And please, as always, feel free to like and share this blog. I welcome any help in getting the word out.

Agape

A Proverbs Wife?

Hello, and welcome back, my beautiful readers. I am so glad you chosen to spend a moment of your day with me.



I will publish this blog later, but right now, it is Wednesday, July 27th, 2016. I woke up with a headache, but I woke up. I hear thunder outside, and I thought that since I am home for the day, I would let the kids hang out with me. I have three Min Pins up against Papa's pillow, one Chihuahua at the foot of the bed, one Chihuahua on the rug by the bed, and I have no idea where the others are chillin'. They don't like the storms. I like their company when I am miserable, so I surround myself with them for their comfort.

We have a couple of young ladies staying with us for a couple of weeks while their parents go on vacation. A much needed break for them. As for me... it's gunna be a looong two weeks. I haven't had visitors for that long, but all is well, they are good kids and they know how to respect privacy and quiet time. Admittedly, I seek sanctuary in my room with the door open when the youngest visitor rapid-fires off a lot of questions. Mostly though, she enjoys the company of the critters. Her big sister takes care of her, but I try to take care of most of it so as to give her a much need break as well. I get the impressions from Papa that the older one bears quite the responsibility for her younger sister, which I am sure is of great help to their mom, as I know it is a great help for me.


The girls have their morning routine, as do I, which brings me to the point of this blog. After sweeping up the kennel room floor, starting a load of laundry, I make myself a cup o coffee, grab a banana, and settle in for a semi quiet morning of doing my morning routine of examining the daily text. What I found there was a cause from much pause and much self examination. Please, allow me to share it with you...

Wednesday, July 27

You guide me with your advice.—Ps. 73:24.

Whenever we need guidance, we can “take notice of” Jehovah by consulting his Word to find out his view of matters and by seeking to apply Bible principles. (Prov. 3:6) Sometimes, though, a trialsome situation lingers. You may have a grievous personality conflict with someone in the congregation. For instance, you may be hurt by a remark that you consider to be unkind. Yet, the brother who made the remark receives privileges in the congregation and seems to be well-thought-of by others. ‘How can this be?’ you wonder. ‘Does Jehovah not see? Will he not act?’ (Ps. 13:1, 2; Hab. 1:2, 3) While you may feel that the other party bears most of the blame, God may view things differently. From his standpoint, you may be more at fault than you realize. The comment that you considered to be so hurtful may, in fact, have been well-deserved counsel that you ought to give thought to. w14 4/15 5:10, 12-14

Council can come from anywhere,
aye, Chloe?

My Bible Study conductor, Mark A., once share these words with me that were a lesson for him, one that he never forgot and has sense passed on to his students for them to benefit from. "Council can come from anywhere." He said that because for himself, council did come from a source outside the congregation, from a contact through his business. Mark had made mention of a movie that he had watched on regular TV, the point being, it had been 'cleaned up' for regular TV, however, when he shared with these business contacts that he had watched a really good movie then mentioned the name of the movie, his contacts, knowing that he was one of Jehovah's Witnesses and knowing the 'real' content of the movie said "You watched that movie!!?" The question was asked as both a question and with shock. Mark realized then and there that he had received council by this person on what they felt was an inappropriate movie for someone of his religious character to be watching. Never mind that it had been 'cleaned up' for regular TV.

The point was taken by me, Council really can come from anywhere. We can receive council from doctors, police officers, friends, family, and so forth. But the most important council we will ever receive is from the Bible. Who delivers that council? Allow me to share with you the avenues in where I received council from Jehovah:

• Fellow believers in the congregation
• Sisters in the congregation
• Brothers in the congregation, and,
• Elders in the congregation

Fellow believers in the congregation have helped me to improve in my worship to Jehovah in their fine example of how they treat others: a kind word, a thoughtful gesture, a respect of someones wishes, not invading others' privacy with questions that could make others feel uncomfortable, to name just a few. Council really can come from anywhere.

Sisters in the congregation have helped me to improve in my worship to Jehovah in their fine examples of how they conduct themselves when having to talk to me. Oh yes, and she did it in a very loving, tactful way. For example, after a Tuesday night meeting, I was visiting with the friends when a wife of an elder approaches me. "I love you, you know that right?" she asks. I nodded my head. Then she shows me a picture on her phone. It was a picture of me, standing in the isle way, leaning up against a chair, and the slit in the side of my dress reveled more of my leg then is appropriate. I went home that night, threw the dress away. I felt bad, not because of the council I received, but that I had put my dear sister in a position where she needed to mention something to me. I can just imagine the turmoil she might have felt about how I would react to her council. I thanked her for the council, and to lighten the mood so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable, I said "Can you send me that picture before you delete it?" That was my way of keeping it light and fluffy and displaying a bit of vanity, because, hey, I thought I looked good, hee hee hee. Council really can come from anywhere.

Sisters in the congregation have helped me to improve in my worship to Jehovah in their fine examples of how they conduct themselves. For example, while visiting at the home of Mark A, another couple in the congregation stopped by for a visit and to offer sample patters for paint colors. During the example of colors, the wife made a comment in a way that I think her husband thought was that of 'correcting him' as if he didn't know the answer, (don't ask, I'm just trying to explain this the best I can remember) what I do remember was the husband, in a condescending tone to me and totally out of character from what I am used to seeing in the dear brother, says to her "I know that." Now, what happened next made quite the impression on me. She chose not to make a big deal of her husbands comments, and continued on with the examination of the color samples. 'Like it never happened, y'all!' I would have flipped my lid! But I learned much from the way the wife conducted herself. She chose not to 'make an issue of it' and the rest of the visit went without incident. Now they might have talked about it later, and I realized how important that is. Never 'air your dirty laundry in public.' It keeps harmony. Can you imagine if that wife would have had an outburst toward what she might have perceived as 'hurtful words' from her husband. We would have all felt it in the air, it would have made us all feel uncomfortable, and it would not have promoted christian love. Council really can come from anywhere.

Sisters in the congregation have helped me to improve in my worship to Jehovah in their fine examples of how they conduct themselves with advice about the role of a wife. One sister of an Elder made an impact on me early on that has stuck with me: "Taking care of your husband is part of your worship to Jehovah." That's all she said, but it was such a profound statement that I felt I really needed to examine what she said and to see how I was doing in that area. Sadly, I was not doing well at all. I was so excited to have recently become one of Jehovah's Witnesses that I devoted many many hours to the public ministry that I had let things go at home. The house wasn't clean, and I didn't seem to have time to do the 'home' stuff, and that is when I realize that I was not a 'Proverbs Wife' at all. I had to learn to be balanced. It broke my heart because I knew that if I was going to be a 'Proverbs Wife' I was going to have to balance my time, and that would mean less time in the ministry and more time at home taking care of the 'home' stuff.  Council really can come from anywhere.


Brothers in the congregation have helped me to improve in my worship to Jehovah in their kind words of how to best conduct myself, be it in public, or in the ministry. For example, I learned early on how to conduct myself when out in our door-to-door ministry. It could be a simple word of how we may be perceived as rude, or to be patient when waiting on a homeowner to come to the door, or how to be a good assistant when you and a fellow minister are talking with a homeowner. Council really can come from anywhere.

Elders in the congregation have helped me to improve in my worship to Jehovah in their kind words of how to best conduct myself. For example, while working for one of our customers of our business, I ended up working side by side with an Elder in our congregation. During one of our breaks to escape the heat and rest up a bit, a conversation ensued. It was not a work related conversation, it was a spiritual conversation. Odd considering the environment, so I extra tuned in. He says "You know, when the Elders are considering a brother for extra assignments, they don't just examine the conduct of the brother, they look also at his wife, his family. ("Pay attention Deb, this is for you" I thought.) Then he explained how the conduct of the brothers wife and family has a bearing on the decisions made. Consideration is made of the spirituality of the wife/family, do they dress in an appropriate way?, things like that. Well, that gave me plenty to think about. I examined myself, as a individual, to see how I was doing and if there was room for improvement (and there always is room for improvement) and I realized that there are things I can do.

I therefore asked myself some questions: does my dress and grooming show my respect for Jehovah and others, is my personally such that people would want to be around me? Do I have the reputation of being nice or unpleasant? And these are just a few of the things I asked myself. I know I have room to improve, and it is for the reason that I love Jehovah that I want to do my best to be a better 'Proverbs Wife.' I am pretty sure that one day, my husband will reach out for more responsibilities in the congregation, and I do not want to be the reason that he is held back. 'Jehovah, I'm gunna need yer help.'

Well, there it is. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. I am thankful every day for the counsel I receive because it is a way for me to make corrections where needed and to improve my worship to Jehovah, and Jehovah is the most import reason I have to work on myself to be a better person, a better 'Proverbs Wife,' and better friend.

Blood is Thicker than Water

Hello, hello, hello, my beautiful readers! Welcome back.

Spring is in the air! I can see it, smell it, hear it! Every time I go for my walk, the phone is handy, (1. for taking pix and 2. for tracking my activity) and I am snapping shots of e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g! I can't help it. I am so in love with Jehovah's creation, hence the hashtag, #JehovahsCreationIsAwesome. I may be the only one using it, but it's how I feel!

Sooo, a funny thing happened to me at the doctor visit this morning, well, it's funny to me. With the switching of Insurance Companies, our provider had a new doctor for us, and since papa not be liking my Family Doctor and wanted me to find another, we were like 'OK, we'll try this new doc.' Today's visit was all about establishing a base line of info. To get info, labs need doing. (Yes, I said it that way on purpose.) The appointment was arranged a week ago, and fasting was required this morning. WHAT!?!?!? No coffee!?!?!? Oh sure, that's just fine and dandy if yer a 'black coffee' drinker, which I AM NOT!!! No banana!?!?!? FINE!!!

Now Doc's office is  in CST zone while we are in EST zone. No big deal. Our appointment time is 8:00 a.m. CST 9:00 a.m. EST. Still no big deal. We arrive 15 minutes early to find the office isn't even open yet. No big deal. Once open, we sign in and wait. Starting to be a deal. Then we are called back about 8:20 a.m. Yeah! Doc wants our weight and she asks us to step on the scale. As I'm approaching the scale, she says,
"Let's get you weighed in. It shouldn't have changed much,"
to which I say "It better have had. I went back to Weight Watchers."
It did... down 4.8 pounds!!! Yeah!!!

Let's all go into the little room with the light on. Time to draw blood. Who wants to go first? I do. Up on the table I go. Expose the arm. The 'blood cutt-ie off-ie thing-ie' is on my arm. Slight pinch. NOTHING! Move the needle around some, ouch. NOTHING! Wait... a little. I kid you not, my blood was so thick that it looks slow like syrup oozing into the vial. Let's try the other arm. Repeat above mentioned. NOTHING!!! Wait... a little. Let's try your hand. Repeat above mentioned. NOTHING!!! Wait... a little.

Photo by: Comfreak
at: pixabay

It has been decided that I am dehydrated enough that my blood is so thick it won't hurry and fill the vials needed for testing. Well, they're gunna have ta send me to Hospital for the lab work. In the mean time, doc wants me to increase my water intake. HA! And Chris S. if yer reading this, I know you be laughing. You've been trying to get me to drink water for years! Do you remember the first bottle of water you gave me, all those years ago? For those of you who know me well, I hate, HATE water, unless it is hot and poured over crushed, ground coffee beans, or brewed into a tea. I hate, HATE water, it is the nastiest tasting stuff. So I put the question to you, how do you take your water?

Now, over at Hospital, the gal there was successful. She used a tinier needle and drew it out with a syringe then transferred it to the vials. That means that today's labs resulted in me getting stuck with a needle 4 times. Thank goodness I have some what of a tolerance for pain and am fascinated with watching a needle go into my skin, and love watching the blood flow down the little tube and into the syringe then being vacuum transferred into the vials. Way kool.

Photo: Clker-Free-Vector-Images / 29611 images

at: pixabay.com

Photo Credit: 

PublicDomainPictures / 18043 images

at:pixabay.com

Out of curiosity, I Googled the phrase 'Blood is thicker than Water' and found a couple of things among many to share with y'all... just for fun.

1) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2) 31 Famous Quotations You’ve Been Getting Wrong, quote #14


So there ya have it. Make of it what cha will. As for me, I do believe, Yep, blood truly is thicker than water.

Now go out and have a great day! It's beautiful out there!

Treasure Your Gift of Free Will (Animal Rescues)

Hello my dear beautiful readers on this cool, but so far, fine Saturday. Welcome back. I am glad that you can be with me today.

The week is a busy and crazy time for me, but the weekends, those I devote to Jehovah, our loving Creator, for the  purpose of talking about him. Based on this Sunday's, (tomorrow's) Watchtower lesson: Treasure Your Gift of Free Will, is a cause for me to write this blog, and paragraph 17, well, the last sentence in the paragraph, summed it up for me:

 "Should we not also respect our brother's right 

to make personal decisions in matters of lesser importance?"

There is a reason I bring this up and choose to blog about it. Sometimes, I feel judged because I take in animals that I see need help, due to recent events, even animals along the road. Others say I should just leave them, but my conscience WILL NOT LET ME leave them. It would trouble my heart, and I will be filled with regret, and just as I don't want Jehovah to be filled with regret because I didn't use my choice of free will to please him in my conduct, I don't want my heart to be filled with regret that I didn't help an animal when I knew that I could.

Now I know people mean well by telling me to 'leave the animals' as they know I have a lot of animals already, seven (7) to be precise. All of these animal I have for various reasons. They all have a story to be told. Some of them came to me because former owners can not longer keep them and yes, I have room, (after all, what's one more mouth to feed, aye?) one was an Anniversary gift, and some are even rescued from the side of the road. Case in point, our latest family member, an older Beagle female dog.

Hey everybody, meet 'Oliana Mirren' aka 'Anna.'

(sounds like aw'nah)

Oliana Mirren, aka Anna

All of you have gotten to meet Anna the easy way. Let me tell you how we meet her, last Saturday... As I mentioned in my previous blog: Reflecting - 3 more changes in the family: Well, well, well... guess what we, Papa and I, did on our usual Saturday morning Ministry day? Yep, we rescued another dog! Change #2 As I type, she is resting. She's been doing a lot of that since we brought her home. (We haven't named her yet.) She was down at the end of our road. I was driving so papa could move more stuff on my phone over to the SD card, (I know nothing of how to do that sort of stuff) and I see something in the middle of the lane. As I get closer, I see that it's a dog. My first though was, 'That's the neighbors dog! Weird that it's loose. She (the neighbor) always walks her dog on a leash even though she lives in the country.' I expressed my concerns. 

"Oh no," Papa corrects my thinking, "that dog was there the other day. I saw it on my way to therapy, (for his knee. ;-) ) I couldn't stop." 

As I got close, I had to stop because the dog was barely moving out of the way. We both got outta Scooter2 to have a look see. She had tail tucked up tight. Very scared. Sniff, Sniff. Scared. Cold. Shaking. We tried to pick her up but she yipped in great pain from her left side. So I grabbed my jacket outta the car, covered her, and kinda scooped her up into my arms, trying to avoid touching her left side. She still yelped. Papa drove us back to the house and we put her in the house, in a private kennel with access to an outside area, free of Min Pin Harassment. Then back out the door. Do over. Ministry bound.

Raxin' on the couch after her bath.              

Oh guys, if you could have just seen how pitiful she looked! It is not in our nature, Papa or mine, to leave anything helpless. It just does not set right with us. Therefore, we exercised our 'gift of free will' to help this poor creature.

Anna shows signs of much abuse, and she behaves like she's never ever ever spent a day in the house in her whole life. Hence, she had no knowledge of using a dogie door and ended up pottying all over the place and sadly was laying in it! She didn't even lay down on the pillow I provided her. Poor poor thing. So last Sunday, before the meeting, I had to do a major Clean-Up, of both the kennel area and the dog herself. Into the shower she went with me. Oh it hurt her so much to be lifted into the tub. Oh did she stink. Poor poor thing. She did well though. And since papa and I had to take separate vehicles to the meeting for separate after-meeting tasks, I stayed with Anna while she stayed wrapped up in a towel and slept on the 'blog couch' with me. I left for the meeting at the very last minute.

Even though she was a bit of trouble, I am so glad that I exercised the 'gift of free will' to help this poor creature. She looked and acted so weary and worn out and pitiful.

Anna did eventually ventured out of the kennel, so I opened up the gate so she could join us (the fur-babies and I) on our walk. She disappeared shortly after I started walking, but later she reappeared back in her kennel area. This is progress cuz she has only recently started using the dogie door. After my walk, I did find her resting quietly on fresh puppy pads. I put them down for her while she was out because earlier the night before, when I was putting fresh pads down for her, she started yipping and tucked tail and stuffed herself into the corner and turned her head away like she was gunna get hit. Poor Poor thing. Papa and I promised her that we would never hit her. To me, that was a sign that someone had hit her often with something like a rolled up newspaper. A fact that was proven days later when, one evening, Anna was roaming the house, checking things out, and Papa was building a fire for the evening and he was crumpling up newspaper for starting a blaze, and Anna panicked, tucked tail, and was trying to find a place to hide. I hollered at Papa to stop the noise, and comforted Anna till she was calm again. Poop poor thing!

Moving at a snail's pace.

While Anna is lacking that pep-in-her-step, she does try to stay with me when we go outside for our walks. At first, I kept walking in place to wait on her. After one round with her slowly following, I got her back to the house and disappeared out the back door to finish my walk at a quicker pace.

Every day shows Anna getting better and better. Her pace is increasing, and she even wags her tail. I have yet to hear her bark. I have heard plenty of yipping though, it seems like everything scares her, a bump from a twig on the ground, the unexpected touch of my hand, my fur-babies approaching her to quickly. Poor poor thing!

All in all, I feel Anna is going to be OOOOOOK. Whether or not we choose to re-home her has not been determined yet. If I feel that she need to just be here at our home where she can remain calm and have no more worries, then 'we' become her 'furever' home. A dear brother of mine once said,

 "We are not under obligation to have a pet,

 but if we have a pet, we are under obligation to take care of it." 

He's right, it is an obligation. Even the scriptures make it clear that Jehovah expects us to take care of animals. I feel this article sums it up best, with emphasis to me on having a balanced view, (hence, I try not to rescue them all ;-) ) Pets—Keep a Balanced View of Them

In conclusion, I ask only that others should respect my decision to help animals where I can. We have, every one of us, been given the gift of free will. I choose to use that gift to:

1) serve Jehovah God to the best of my ability, 

2) take care of my family to the best of my ability, and 

3) help animals to the best of my ability.

As always, I welcome your thought on this matter. Tell me what you thing about rescues, being balanced, and the gift of free will.

Reflecting - 3 More Changes in the Family

Welcome back. I am so glad you took the time to share a moment of your day with me. It means a lot to me that you are here... so to my beautiful readers I say 'welcome back!'

My favorite pic from the light covering
of snow as promised my WAVE3
#myfrontyard

Just as promised from the WAVE 3 weather app on my phone, I went to bed seeing it snowing, and this morning, as I sit in my favorite chair, (my blog corner is behind me) three fur-babies in my lap... studying my Watchtower lesson: 'Trust in Jehovah and do what is good' looking out the living room window I see snow on the ground (that makes snow twice this year) and the sun is coming up over the trees. The house is quite save the Chihuahua, Amigo, with breathing problems (he is a BIG FAT DOG, but Mark ain't hearing it.)

Choc, Chloe, Barkley, aka Happy Pants

I've got a busy day today. As I stated in my last blog, I am heading back to Weight Watchers. Apparently, I am unwilling to do what is right with my eating habits, and as a result, the weight is out of control. Now worries, mate... I've done it before (loose weight) I can do it again... and I will. I will. I will...

Hey, I'm back. Change #1 I attended my first Weight Watchers meeting. I had forgotten how much I missed the meetings and helping people. First, I need to help myself. How can I speak with freeness of speech on helping others to loose weight when I can not help myself. 1st, help yourself, 2nd, help others. My group leader at the meetings, Angela F. mentioned to me: "You took the hardest step today!" My response: "Actually, it was hard. Hard 2admit what I already knew, '2spineless2 go it alone.' No worries. Looking 4ward, cuz that's the direction I'm heading."

After lunch with Papa and killing it at the mall walking, I was unwilling to stress my back out more, so I sought out the comforts of home. Quick question, am I the only one that has a pile of clean laundry on the coffee table staring at them, practically blocking the view of the TV? I really need to fold 'em. Let me just sit for a few minutes and think about it....... never mind, I'm good. I think I will just turn the TV on, smash the pile down a bit, and watch my fav's: Right This Minute, people doing people wrong... Crime Watch Daily, Local WAVE3 news, Dateline with Lester Holt. Oh, and don't forget popcorn. Night all.

Sorry for the blurred pic, the lighting was
poor and she was moving to much.

Well, well, well... guess what we, Papa and I, did on our usual Saturday morning Ministry day? Yep, we rescued another dog! Change #2 As I type, she is resting. She's been doing a lot of that since we brought her home. (We haven't named her yet.) She was down at the end of our road. I was driving so papa could move more stuff on my phone over to the SD card, (I know nothing of how to do that sort of stuff) and I see something in the middle of the lane. As I get closer, I see that it's a dog. My first though was, 'That's the neighbors dog! Weird that it's loose. She (the neighbor) always walks her dog on a leash even though she lives in the country.' I expressed my concerns. "Oh no," Papa corrects my thinking, "that dog was there the other day. I saw it on my way to therapy. (for his knee. ;-) ) I couldn't stop." As I got close, I had to stop because the dog was barely moving out of the way. We both got outta Scooter2 to have a look see. She had tail tucked up tight. Very scared. Sniff, Sniff. Scared. Cold. Shaking. We tried to pick her up but she yipped in great pain from her left side. So I grabbed my jacket outta the car, covered her, and kinda scooped her up into my arms, trying to avoid touching her left side. She still yelped. Papa drove us back to the house and we put her in the house, in a private kennel with access to an outside area, free of Min Pin Harassment. Then back out the door. Do over. Ministry bound.

Hunter is watching Papa put up the fence.

As always, it is good to spend time out in the Ministry, sharing the Good News About God's Kingdom, but all good things must come to an end. We must head home and check on 'new dog' and there is some work to be done. We are getting ready to get some new livestock in. It just so happens that, yet again, we are gunna dabble in chickens... again... and again... and again... wait, I've lots count. Every time we get rid of them, we swear 'Never again' cuz chickens, any animals for that matter, are a lot of work! However, apparently time heals all wounds and softens the memory, cuz we're getting ready for them.

My mom and daughter.

Do to separate agendas Sunday, Papa and I took separate vehicles to the meeting. I NEEDED to head down to Greensburg to see mum, Papa had to head home to meet a Realtor who is bringing people out to our 80 acres that we have for sale on the market. My daughter said she would go with me. Yeah!!!

Bekah put together a pretty container
to hold all.that.candy!

I had a very enjoyable visit/trip with my daughter as we headed to Greensburg to have a visit with mum. Papa had to head home as a realtor had some people coming out to the property to look at. I've never minded the drive to go see mum, and yes, it takes over an hour to get there from town, add a half hour from our house. Scooter2 has a rocking system after all, and drives like a dream. This trip, though, the radio wasn't on once, as we just... um... talked... weird hu? It was nice though. I am so glad she was able to make the trip with me. She even came in handy when I stopped at the IGA Grocery story to get mum some Pepsi and candy.

When we got back into town, Bekah saw what it's like to pick up groceries at Kroger using the on-line ordering system. Kool...  Then after a quick stop for alcoholic beverages, I took her home. I though my day was done. But noooooo, Scooter2 needs gas, and I've already headed outta town, dropping Bekah at home. REALLY!?!?!? No problem, I'll just use the 'Gas Buddy' app on my phone to check prices. What's the price in Rineyville please. What? NO! I am not driving back into town. Rineyville it is, even it it's 0.06 cents more!!! I draw the line and chasing down cheap prices! Besides, my back is sore and I'm tired and I want to see how 'new dog' (I really need to name her) is doing.

Ah... it's good to be home!
"What do you mean, I have to go with you? Tonight?"
Yep, folks, my day is not done yet. Now that the fence is done, we have ta go get the chickens. And somebody took a pill and can't drive.
"Well, let me put the groceries away. Oh, and can you make me a bag of popcorn to munch on on the way? Thanks."
So at 8:30, I grab the keys to Big Girl, and hit the open road. Half way there "Where's my popcorn?"
Silence, then "Um... it's still in the Microwave."
Right!!! "Dude, you had one job!" but he says he's sorry. (You just can't make this stuff up!)

At any rate, with help from a friend and the seller, we got the birds loaded up into the crate and headed home. That crate is heavy full of birds. It did take a bit of time, but we were able to introduce them to their new home. 'Now can I go to bed?' I tried, I really tried to stay up and be sociable, but I was just to Tired Grouchy for that.

Here are my birds!

This morning found me up before I really wanted to. Why? Well....... something my daughter said yesterday motivated me to get up and get going. As some of you know, she has been challenging me with the 'S Health' app, along with other people, and she gets up early and gets her walk in before work because she is to tired after work to do it. Well that got me to thinking, 'I am freshest in the morning... and she did beat me this last challenge... and Change #3 we've got new chickens... and how's the new dog (Really, Deb, you ain't named her yet?) ... and it's raining which makes for awesome 'rain kissed' pix... sooooooo, I got up and made my rounds around the fenced 5 acres.

And there they were, just chickening along... I even captured video (not included) of the Rooster doing his thang...

There's my birds.

Yep, that's our coop!

I love the pattern of the feathers
of these girls!

Aaawww!!! My first dozen.

And later, when I went to cook up breakfast after getting my morning walk in, I wanted, and had, fresh eggs to use for my Zucchini Pancakes, which I total tanked them, but they still tasted good. It was at that moment that I was really thankful to Jehovah God for the loving gift he has given us in the way of creation. I loved having the fresh eggs! As many of you know, because of the cruelty of factory farming, I will not purchase eggs, milk, or meat from the grocery. I just can't make myself do it!

Hey, wanna see a pic of new dog (I promise, I will have a name for her by tomorrow) on our last walk of the evening? Now mind you, it was getting on 'hard to see' dark, she was moving just enough to blur most of my pix, and it's hard to get a good one using my phone anyway, but here she is:

I think she has had a hard life. 
It ends here. Only happiness
from here on out. 

Well, I'm off to bed for a bit. It's after midnight, between Papa and the fur-babies, I'm gunna be up before I want ta. However, I am on a 'get-the-new-dog-a-name' mission. Night all. I'll be back in the morning.

Meet 'Oliana Mirren'
aka
Anna

Ya know... it's hard to get the morning walk in while it's raining!!! The fur-babies tried to go with me, but 'rain walkers' they are NOT!!! Chloe stuck with me one round - but I put her back in the house cuz I'm pretty sure she'd of stayed with me and gotten soaking wet- and snuck out the back door to keep going. Ya wanna know who did go with me all the way to the end of my 6,000 minimum steps? Hunter. I even had to put Anna (told ja I was gunna get new dog a name) back in the house, her pace was glacial.

A screen shot of my phone.
I love the pic of the lightening. 

While I didn't wanna really walk in the rain, I didn't really mind it. It sure does make everything clean and fresh. And it does perk up the plants, well, at least it perks up the plants that are not heavily 'rain kissed.'  Yep, even rain is a blessing from our loving Creator, Jehovah. It was a nice walk, and though the ground was soggy and slippery, I was able to get my minimum 6,000 step in, in the rain, by just walking up and down our gravel driveway that is inside the fenced area. Oh, and I just had to take a screen shot of my cell phone. I thought the weather widget was pretty, showing the temp, the rain, and the lightening! And while I did not personally experience any lightening, I was amazed by the pic on my phone and just had to share it with y'all.

Change can be good. It can be stressful. It can be fun. It can be crazy. Change can be a lotta things, but one thing's for sure, change always comes. We deal with it the best we can. We get through it. It even has the ability to make us stronger.

Thank you, my beautiful readers, for coming on this week's journey with me. Have a super day.

I would love to hear from you. What changes have happened to you? Were they good or bad? How did you cope with them?