Wordless Wednesday: Meditation

Photo by Bev Gutmann / Caption from Josh Arcus

I sure hope they clean the end of that pole before tomorrow's shift.

Silly Sunday: Dog Does Float Trip

"The Swaz" 1998-2011

Year's ago, we took the Swaz on a float trip down a Tennessee river. Our large golden retriever "enjoyed" a day which probably haunted him into old age. First, we paddled through floating grass, but the dog thought it was the real thing as he stepped out of the canoe and dove head first under water. We struggled to pull the front end of this massive beast out of the river because his back legs were lodged in the boat, and he'd drown without our help. That was our warm up.

Later, we tipped in rapids that left us in panic once we brought our heads to the surface. Swaz was nowhere to be seen. Finally, my husband lifted the canoe to find our baby paddling underneath it. Upon seeing Mitchell, Swaz panicked as he climbed on top of Mitchell's shoulders continually trying to get higher out of the water. We should have charged admission to laughing observers on shore. If you decide to take your dog floating, beware.

Writer's Post: Little Things That Make Me Smile

Corinne Rodrigues from the Writer's post is sponsoring this week's topic of "Little Things That Make Me Smile." Perhaps when you see girl scouts outside the grocery store, you'll remember this post and pass a smile forward. 

Memories From The Cookie Sales

Many years ago while helping my daughters sell Girl Scout cookies outside the Kroger store, a slender, well dressed man approached us with a task. He paid for six boxes of cookies but only took three. Bending down so that he was eye to eye with the girls, he said, "I'm leaving three boxes of cookies, and I have something I want you to do." He asked the kids to find three people who looked like they were having a bad day, give them a box, and tell them, “Someone wants you to have these cookies.” 

The scouts spent the next several hours observing every Kroger shopper to decide who needed a pick-me-up and then reveling in the joy of giving away cookies. Thirty minutes after presenting a free box to one woman, she returned with tears in her eyes and money to pay for someone else’s cookies. She told the story of how her car had broken down and she was having an awful day until the troop lifted her spirits with a simple gift.

This pattern of buying and giving continued throughout the weekend and had become a practice of the troop each year. Now that these girls are grown-ups, they still remember the man in the suit and continue to perform random acts of kindness when possible. I dare you to buy an extra box of cookies for a stranger who needs a little thing to make a smile.