My Contribution to SHINE

Jacquelin Cangro writes, “In an effort to continue on my path to living more deliberately, I’m starting a new section of the blog.  The  germ of the idea came to me when I was volunteering for a non-profit organization by writing articles for their website. All of the articles were positive stories featuring kids or adults who were making a difference in their communities. Each interview left me inspired and humbled.”

She continues, “…This section is meant to be just that: a repository for uplifting stories about everyday people who are following their dreams. Maybe you’ll be inspired to follow in their footsteps or share their stories with your friends. That’s why I’m calling this page SHINE. I hope it will spread some light and warmth.”

I approached Jacquelin, asking her if I could submit something about my animal rescuing friend, Elise Cohen. Elise runs a not-for-profit animal shelter called Pick of the Litter. Elise runs this shelter alone. Continue reading “My Contribution to SHINE”

The Dog Days of Summer

If you live in the United States, you know the Summer of 2011 will go down in the weather record books as one long, hot summer. As I type, our thermometer indicates the outdoor temperature is 100 degrees. That’s hot.

“That’s hot” reminds me of – no, not Paris Hilton – a quote from an 80s movie titled, “Biloxi Blues”. Matthew Broderick’s character says, “Man it’s hot. It’s like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot.”

As I work from home and look out my window, I see the trees and leaves moving with the breeze. However, the breeze does nothing to cool the air. The fact that my dogs choose to lounge here, with me, rather than outside in their large backyard playground, tells me the wind is misleading, simply moving the hot air and not cooling it.

The heat is zapping me dry, depleting me of words to write and stories to share. I have entered the dog days of summer. Continue reading “The Dog Days of Summer”