Let's Celebrate Our Differences

Why can't we celebrate our differences

       instead of finding fault?

Can't we just all be loyal

       instead of being so quick to gossip?

When someone's behavior seems odd to us,

       we may not know what sorrows he has encountered

Or  what burdens that may be weighing upon him

       to make him act this way.

When I was eating lunch last Tuesday at the temple

       I met a lady whose husband was a big game hunter.

When he died, she donated 

      all of his mounted animal trophies to BYU.

He went on African safaris until one time

       when he shot an elephant.

After the elephant was shot,

       all of the other elephants encircled it 

Trying to help it to stay standing.

       All of the elephants stayed with their friend

Until it died. . . . 

       Her husband never hunted again.

Please click on the arrow to see this video.

This "animal odd couple" teaches us an important lesson. 

Your children will learn the lesson by just watching it.

Remember: One picture is worth 1000 words.

Children Are Like Dogs, But . . . .

Many say children are like dogs.

They are loyal . . . 

. . . and affectionate

. . . but are teenagers more like cats?

It's so easy to be a dog owner.

You feed it, train it, and boss it around and yet

it still puts its head on your shoulder

and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting.

Then at around age 13 . . .

  . . . your adoring little puppy

. . . turns into a CAT. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Then it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry.  When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.

Not realizing that your dog is now a cat, you think something must be desperately wrong. It seems so antisocial, so distant. Since you are the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay, and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.

Only now, you are dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result.  Call it and it runs away.  Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it with open arms, the more it moves away. Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you should learn to behave like a cat owner.

Then . . .

put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you  Sit still and it will come, seeking that warm comforting lap it has not entirely forgotten.  Be there to open the door for it.

And just remember . . . one day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, "You've been on your feet all day.  Let me get those dishes for you." Then you will realize that your cat is now a dog again.

                 

(These words were written by an unknown author.  I just illustrated them.)

A New Way to Go?

Would this solve our dependence on foreign oil?

Just click on the arrow on the bottom left to see the video.

This would definitely alleviate our traffic problem.

Just think . . . NO MORE ROAD RAGE!

A New Meaning for "Lap" Dogs

Notice that these dogs are always sitting on a woman's lap.  

What do you suppose this means?  

This dog must be at least 3 times his owner's weight.

Look at his head size in comparison to hers.

The guy isn't smiling, but the girl is.  I wonder why?

Are girls more loving dog owners or just pushovers?

This dog is just plain lazy....

and very lucky to be allowed in the pool.