Be Thankful, Be In Gratitude and Just Be!

When it comes to being thankful and being in gratitude, I learned a few things over the years.  And the one thing that really comes to mind is how judgement of anyone is so damn destructive.   And how it only serves to not only perpetuate the current problem, but creates even more problems in  it's wake.  

While we each can justify why we judge someone (and ourselves), situations and events,  the fact of the matter is,  judgment takes away so much from us.  Both as individuals and as a whole.  

Judgment  robs us of precious energies that we don't always notice.  Until it's too late.

Judgment distracts us from the lesson(s) that are being presented to us at that given time.  Which in turn, forces us to repeat those same lessons over and over until we do finally get it!  

 *~*~*~*

For the last couple of months I've literally drained myself of energy all over judging one person in particular.  Judging this person (though well justified)  hasn't resolved anything.      And true to it's nature, my judgments have only serve to keep the issues going strong.  And too, creating  more along the way.

Though  I have had my say and made my stand, the judgment still looms over our heads.   It's a heavy dense energy that presses against and down on my body.  So much so that I finally said,  TIME TO GO HOSS!   The decision to let it all go and walk away from this judgment has come.  Because quite frankly, I'm extremely exhausted by it all!

Granted, I will ever invite this person back into my life, for doing so would only lead to more unnecessary bullshit.  And I for one have no desire to repeat the lessons this person brings!  Nor do I desire to feel weighed down by the burdens of constant judgments.  So with that said, I now forgive and close that chapter once and for all.  Giving thanks that I have enough sense to do this for my Self!

There's a lot more to be said, but I've decided that that too must be let go.  

This person knows who they are.  And too, they know what they've done and continue to do.  

My passing judgment on them doesn't stop them from being what they chose to be in this moment.  Nor does it change what they choose to do to others.  Perhaps one day in the not too distance future,  my forgiveness of them and expressing heartfelt thanks for all that I've learned from them will be the very thing that makes the want to change.  

One can only hope!

*~*~*~*

And just as a quick reminder...

Forgiveness is not the condoning of any acts that bring harm.  It is the refusal to allow to be weighed down by those harmful actions.  It is refusing to be made prisoner of whatever judgments arises from those harmful actions.  

Forgiveness is not about inviting that person that chooses to do harm back into your life.   It's about accepting whatever lessons they brought, using those lessons for your own personal growth.  It's all about  Relinquishing ownership of judgment of that person and allowing them to be who they choose to be.  Somewhere else!  Preferably far, far, FAR away!

Forgiveness is about saying good-bye, I wish you well, I wish you all the best,  to those who refuse to change.

Forgiveness is about remembering all that was taught, without being caught up in the dense energies of judgment.

*~*~*~*

Being genuinely thankful and bringing yourself into the Attitude of Gratitude keeps you where YOU are suppose to be!  Full of energy, vitality and joy!  It's not about them!  It never truly was!  And that my dearies is a powerful lesson greatly earned and learned!

I will end this blog with The Serenity Prayer...

*~*~*~*

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.

Amen.

*~*~*~*

Namaste Beloveds!

Creating Winter Shelters

Design Basics

There are many ways to build adequate shelter will all good designs sharing two qualities: strong insulation and minimal air space. The insulation is needed to trap the cats’ body heat, effectively turning the cats into little radiators. Empty air space needs to be eliminated in order to keep the amount of space that needs to be heated to a minimum. A well insulated large dog house will not work because there will be too much air space for the cats to warm. Likewise, a tight fitting space with thin, uninsulated walls won’t work either because the cat’s body heat will pass right through.

Smaller Shelters Provide Warmth – Build More, Smaller Shelters

With these design factors in mind, it is better to build two smaller shelters which will each hold three or four cats than one large shelter to house six to eight felines. With smaller shelters, even if only one or two cats go in, enough heat will be generated. But with the larger shelter, if only a small number of the cats use it at the same time, there will be too much empty air space for them to heat.

Wonderful Shelter Ideas, from Neighborhood Cats in NYC

Visit their website for photos and other ideas!

Winter Cat Shelter Made from Rubbermaid Storage Bin

This shelter was designed by CSM Stray Foundation of Kew Gardens, Queens, New York. Purchase a large Rubbermaid storage bin (a.k.a.  storage tote) with a removable lid. It’s important the brand is Rubbermaid otherwise the plastic walls may crack in frigid temperatures. You’ll also need an eight foot by two foot sheet of one inch thick hard Styrofoam, a yardstick, box cutter, and insulating material such as hay or straw.

To assemble:

1. Cut a doorway six inches by six inches in one of the long sides of the bin towards the corner. Cut the opening so that the bottom of the doorway is several inches above the ground to prevent flooding.
2. Line the floor of the bin with a piece of Styrofoam, using the yardstick and box cutter to cut the piece. It doesn’t have to be an exact fit, but the closer the better.
3. In a similar fashion, line each of the four interior walls of the bin with a piece of the Styrofoam. Again, perfect cuts are not necessary. Leave a cap of three inches between the top of these Styrofoam “wall pieces” and the upper lip of the bin.
4. Cut out a doorway in the Styrofoam interior wall where the doorway has been cut out all ready in the storage bin.
5. Stuff the bottom of the bin with straw or other insulating material (no blankets or towels!) to hold the wall pieces in place.
6. Cut out a Styrofoam “roof” to rest on top of the Styrofoam wall pieces.
7. Cover the bin with its lid.
8. This shelter is easy to clean by taking off the lid and the roof. It is lightweight and may need to be weighed down. A flap over the door way is optional.

Build a Shelter Using a Styrofoam Cooler

An adequate shelter for one cat can be made from a simple Styrofoam cooler available at any hardware store for about $6. Glue the lid onto the cooler, turn it upside down and cut a hole in one side (anywhere but in the middle of one of the long sides). The Styrofoam containers used to ship meat can be turned into shelters in the same way and can, depending on their size, house 3 to 4 cats. If you want to get fancy, get a large Igloo cooler and, with a jigsaw, cut a hole towards the left or right of one of the long sides. The attached lid will allow for easy cleaning.

Interior Insulation  - Insulating Your Cat Shelter

Putting insulating materials inside the shelter will increase the comfort and warmth of the cats. Insulation materials should only be used if the shelter can be periodically checked to see if they have gotten damp or too dirty and need to be replaced. If regular checkups are not possible, leave the interiors bare.

Straw, Hay and Other Good Insulating Materials

Straw and hay are good insulating materials to use. Straw is better than hay because it can absorb more moisture and is less prone to mold or rot.  Shredded newspaper will also work. One innovative idea is offered by Ellen Perry Berkeley in her book, “Maverick Cats.” Loosely fill a cotton pillow case with Styrofoam peanuts, the kind used to pack fragile items during shipping, and tie the pillow case closed. Then put the stuffed pillow case inside the shelter. The pillow case will conform to the cat’s body and wrap her in heat capturing peanuts.

Here is another simple shelter idea from one of our volunteers, thanks Jean!

Need to provide shelter for several cats? Purchase a 54” deck box (used to store deck furniture cushions). Cut a hole in the side for cat access. Then cut a board, fitting down the center, to separate the box into 2 sections.  One section can be filled with bedding, and the other section is used for feeding. Do not place water inside the shelter. Should the water spill the bedding and cats will get wet. When winter arrives, purchase a sheet of insulation board and cut it to fit the entire inside of the box. This shelter is lightweight and will need to be weighed down.

Source:  Alley Cats Advocates

Fighting Cancer With Words of Comfort

Too many cancer patients suffer in silence. They worry about survival and the many ways cancer could forever change their lives. Some have family and friends for support, but many undergo treatment far from home – separated from the loved ones who know how to comfort them best.

At Giving Comfort, we've set an ambitious goal: No cancer patient should ever feel alone. That's a tall order, and we need your help.

Send a message to a cancer patient in need and help fight cancer with words of comfort. Through Giving Comfort's new Wordsof Comfort campaign, your message of friendship, hope, survival, and strength will reach patients and let them know they aren't alone. 

Click HERE to Send Your Message of Comfort

Check Off Your Christmas List With A Gift That Gives Back!

What A GREAT Idea!!!

Every purchase you make through Target's FEED USA program, such as these water bottles, helps provide meals to kids and families in need.

There are many extra ways to give back this holiday season. Lots of stores have collections where at least some of the profit will go to benefit a charity. Giving a gift that gives 
beyond that single occasion is a gift that just keeps giving!


Click HERE for MORE Gift Ideas!!!

Cross Off Your Holiday Shopping List By Shopping at the Humane Society of the U.S. Online Store!

The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to present holiday gifts for the animal lovers in your life from The HSUS online store, within The Animal Rescue Site. Get a head start on your holiday shopping and receive $5 off when you make a purchase of $25 or more using the code HSUS5OFF through November. Even better, 20 percent of your purchase will go directly to animal protection programs at The HSUS!

Browse some of our best sellers in apparel, jewelry, and accessories, get stylin' in our HSUS gear or shop for your pet! With our unbeatable prices, international shipping, and $4.95 standard U.S. shipping -- you're sure to find something for everyone on your list.

Check it all out by clicking HERE

Merry Christmas!

Save The Animal Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

Super Typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest storms ever to hit land. It blasted the Philippines with winds up to 190 mph and sent giant walls of ocean water crashing into buildings and flooding down streets.

Many animals are suffering from the effects of the storm. Companion animals were separated from their families, and wildlife was injured by the chaotic winds. 


That's why the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)'s Disaster Response Team is in the Philippines right now. We are working with our local partners to rescue and protect companion animals and wildlife affected by the typhoon.


Animals battered by the Typhoon Haiyan's historic winds and rains desperately need medical attention and food. These helpless animals need YOU. 

Click HERE To Help rescue the typhoon's  Animal Victims!

Negative vs. Positive

Every day you and I are being bombarded with negatives. Politics, prices, the economy, interest rates - you name it, we're hearing about it ... bad news. Supreme mental strength is required to keep your mind on a track that will lead to a positive end result. 

Now is an excellent time to put your nose into a few history books. You will find the stories of men and women who have continued to win, in spite of what was happening all around them. There have always been personalities who took the economic environment as it existed in their day, and instead of letting it guide their every move, they continued with life as if it had little or no effect on their results. Successful business people have always done that and probably always will.

Regardless of what the economic environment was like, some people have figured out how to overcome it. There is, as it turns out, always a way. This optimistic statement seems worth expanding on.

In every era, including our own, people have a tendency to believe that the day of great wealth gathering opportunities are over. For whatever reason, the era that just passed always looks better! People are always blaming circumstances for their results ... that high taxes, high prices, high labor costs and numerous other problems are preventing them from making it.

Do as winners have always done and accentuate the positive. Get on the "I can" mental frequency! I love what George Bernard Shaw shared with us on this very subject. 

Shaw said,

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances that they want, and if they can't find them, make them."

Source:  

Bob Proctor, Chairman & Co-Founder

Proctor Gallagher Institute 

Get out there And CREATE Your Circumstance!!

Hunky Men Volunteer For Kittendales 2014 Calendar Raises Money For Shelter

How Sexy Is This?

A group of hunky men from all walks of life volunteered their time posing with their furry kitten friends to help their shelter in a fundraiser and bring up the awareness of shelter animals and adoption.

“The Kittendales project was conceived in early 2007 when the board of directors at Hull Seaside Animal Rescue was brainstorming about how to raise money for their cat shelter. Chris Crotty, one of the founding members of the shelter decided it would be a good idea to put together a calendar of hunky men and cats. 

The concept was proposed to photographer Joanne Berman, who offered to shoot the calendar at no cost. Susan Davis, a board member at the time, offered to coordinate and give freely of her time to make the calendar happen. Susan and Joanne made it their “pet” project, and in the Spring of 2007, their hunt for a few good men began! The response from the guys was overwhelming. Their willingness to donate their time, and desire to be a part of this venture, for the benefit of the kitties, was extraordinary!” (Kittendales.com)

Click HERE to Read More and View Pictures!

I Do LOVE A Man Who Loves Animals!!!!

How Would You Like To Live In An Airplane Seat?

Millions of pigs live their entire lives inside gestation crates -- tiny cages about the same size as an airplane seat! This means that these pigs don't even have the room to turn around.

Pigs are intelligent animals that lead active social lives when allowed. Forcing them into such confined living spaces is inhumane.

Several companies such as McDonald's and Costco have announced that they will no longer use gestation crates. This is a step forward, but we need to keep fighting for a crate-free future for all pigs. 

The Humane Society of the United States needs your help - sign on with us and millions of animal lovers worldwide today and say "NO" to gestation crates for pigs.


Click HERE to Sign the Petition

'Tis the Season of the Gunshot Sea Lion

Sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and harassing, injuring, or killing them is subject to fines up to $10,000. Enforcement is difficult and often requires a direct witness to the crime. 

You can help protect sea lions and other marine mammals from these horrific and illegal crimes – report any violations of The Marine Mammal Protection Act to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 24-hour Enforcement Hotline (1-800-853-1964).

Nezzie is a juvenile male California sea lion that was rescued by the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center and transferred to The Marine Mammal Center for rehabilitation at the end of October. He was found on a beach at Coal Oil Point in Santa Barbara County, weak and emaciated. 

 Diagnosis...Gunshot Wound!

Click HERE to Read More

 Sadly, Nezzie is one of many sea lions that we have treated for gunshot wounds in recent years. Such shocking cases, push us to raise awareness about this cruel, inhumane – and illegal behavior toward marine mammals.

For Information on how you can help Click HERE

Special Message To Our Veterans

Dear Veterans:

Outpouring for ex-homeless NJ man's good deed

Source:  HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) Offers of support have been pouring in from around the nation for a formerly homeless New Jersey man whose good deed proved costly.

James Brady of Hackensack was notified recently that his government benefits were being suspended after he failed to report as income the $850 he had found on a sidewalk and turned over to police.

Brady, who was homeless when he found the money on a sidewalk in April after leaving a local homeless shelter, turned the cash over to police. He was allowed to keep it six months later after no one claimed it during a mandated waiting period.

But the Hackensack Human Services Department denied him General Assistance and Medicaid benefits through Dec. 31 because he failed to report the cash as new income. The director of human services said the agency was just following the rules.

The 59 year-old Brady is a former photographer and market data analyst who has suffered from depression since losing his job a decade ago, according to The Record of Woodland Park (http://bit.ly/1dbcxWB).

Brady told The Record that he hadn't realized he was required to report the money. Formerly homeless, he had recently found housing and was seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist and taking medication, but was unsure he'd be able to afford continuing care after his benefits were cut off.

The newspaper says offers of support for Brady have been pouring in from readers.

Bergen County's United Way has also set up an account specifically for Brady through its Compassion Fund.

The chapter's head, Tom Toronto, told the newspaper that the offers of help stem from a feeling that Brady did a good deed when it would have been easier not to.

"Here's a fellow who behaved admirably, who clearly could have used the money himself, but he showed a tremendous amount of pride and honesty," Toronto said.

Mindful that cash assistance could affect Brady's benefits going forward, Toronto said The United Way planned to work with Brady to develop a program of goods and services tailored to his needs.

BBB: Scammers pretend to be utilities company, want payment immedately

The Better Business Bureau is warning customers of a new utility scam.

The BBB said customers are receiving calls by scammers, who tell them their payments are overdue.

Scammers as customers to make those overdue payments by “green dot money pack carsd” in the next hour, or their utilities will be disconnected.

Charlie Mattingly, Louisville Better Business Bureau, said those cards act as cash and are untraceable, meaning the customers lose their money.

Mattingly also said the scammers sometimes ID spoof the calls, so the caller ID may say that they are calling from a local number, when they are actually out of the country.

SOURCE:  WHAS

Vaccinate 500 Shelter Pets

Preventable diseases like kennel cough or feline herpesvirus can stop an adoption in its tracks – not to mention being a danger to unprotected populations in the shelter. Vaccinations are costly and may reduce the number of pets that a shelter or rescue group can afford to save.

Greatergood.org and Petfinder Foundation have teamed up to change that. Working with our corporate partners and supporters like you, we will vaccinate 2 million shelter animals in just two years, protecting them from common, contagious, preventable diseases.

Adorable (shown here) and her brother Imp were just two puppies who received their Bordatella vaccination this year courtesy of A Shot At Life.

A grant to Humane Society of Elmore County enabled the group to vaccinate two hundred puppies and dogs, including Adorable and Imp, against kennel cough earlier this year.

The vaccination not only helped the puppies to stay healthy at the shelter but it also meant that they were quickly adopted.

Your click gives 500 pets like Adorable a shot at life.

Click HERE to Read more 

The Western Black Rhinoceros Is Extinct

It's a sad day for nature lovers and really the entire planet. The western black rhinoceros is officially extinct according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The last time one was seen was in 2006. The IUCN says the extinction of these magnificent beasts could've been avoided if proper conservation methods had been implemented. That wasn't the only bad news for rhinos in their report. Africa's northern white rhino and Asia's Javan rhino are fighting for survival due to poaching and a lack of conservation efforts. The report suggests managing and strengthening habitats could save the remaining rhino subspecies from extinction


Click HERE to Read More

Article by:  Nick Mangione

Michael J. Fox: primetime advocacy

With both his new television show and research foundation, Michael J. Fox is raising visibility and shifting perceptions and prejudices around people living with disabilities and chronic illness.

His breakthrough work promotes freedom for all people to have dignified choices about work, and the choice to live at home.

With optimism and determination, Michael is leading important work - and we are celebrating his hard work by personally delivering a super-sized thank you card to him on November 9th.

Click HERE to sign the Thank You Card