As a professional petsitter, there are some things which I simply dread.  What you see pictured here is probably the worst — yes, even over poop.  An accident I can clean, but I cannot reconstruct tattered mail, mangled books, scratched furniture, broken lamps, or whatever else it is the critters under my care may have destroyed.  Fortunately, it does not happen often.  Thankfully, their owners have never failed to be understanding.  I don’t believe the animals mean to be bad and I feel the responsibility falls greatly upon me.  During the time I visit I try to exercise them, snuggle with them, stimulate them, and provide them with stability and dependability in their parents’ absence.  OK, and I subject them to multiple kisses.  I love my job.  It is immensely fulfilling and brings me great happiness.  Most gratifying is when I am able to hear from owners how thankfull they are because they KNOW their fur babies were loved in their absence.  You cannot fake love and one cannot take time or attention for granted — especially with animals.  Their unconditional love is so humbling.  The American author Alfred Montapert said:

”Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal.  Difficult standards for people to live up to.”

A saying comes to mind that goes something like I hope to be as good as my dog thinks I am.  It is indeed a worthy pursuit.  In the meantime, I shall endeavor to keep the critters from getting trashed.

Today was my birthday.  When I was little I looked forward to my cake (from the same bakery my parents used since my birth and I would use for my wedding 35 years later.)  One year I had a rollerskating party and I thought it was the greatest.  I had my Jordache jeans, my pink Polo shirt, and I can say without conceit I was the best roller skater around.  I will never know how much my parents sacrificed to give me that party.  But I do know our little girl is growing up vastly different than I.  What I want her to know, more than anything, is that everything she has is a PRIVILEGE — versus a right.  To have a party is not a given — it is special and requires money.  Every year since our daughter has been born I have written on her invitations, “Your presence will be her presents!”  She has not liked that recently and has questioned me as to why we buy gifts for other kids’ parties but she cannot have any for her own.  I hope I am not being too harsh.  I just want her to know that she doesn’t need more stuff to feel she has had a good birthday.  Only one parent has told me she thought it was great, and she had her child bring a homemade gift as their present.  I will confess her favorite present was from my friend Angela who bought her Mulan and Li Shang as a birthday present.  Angela happens to be one of the most thoughtful, caring friends I have.  But what if she did not have the money to buy them for my daughter?  Would that make her daughter any less of a friend?  Of course not.  I doubt our family knows it, but for years we have planned and sacrificed to try and buy them nice gifts.  I have come to realize there are people fortunate enough not to need anything.  As I have grown older I have made the realization that peoples’ presence are the real presents.  The Canadian-born American motivational public speaker Brian Tracy said, “The greatest gift that you can give to others is the the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.”  Oh, how LONG it has taken me to realize this!  Perhaps I was spoiled because I grew up always knowing I had that from my parents.  Not everyone is so lucky.  Today I celebrated my birthday with the two people whom I love the most in all the world.  It used to be my parents, but now they are both shining in light perpetual in the glory of the Lord.  God, in his graciousness, has given me my husband and my precious miracle daughter to celebrate with.  It would seem that for me three is a magic number.

October has always been my favorite month.  My birthday falls in this month, my father’s was this month, and now my daughter shares his birthday — one of the greatest joys of my life.  And, in Texas, it’s State Fair time.  I don’t know what it is — there’s just something about the fair.  It only comes once a year and since I was a child I used to love touring the museums and going through all the Art Deco buildings.  We never had money to spend on the midway but my parents and I made the most of the fair when I was growing up.  We toured everything there was to see and learn about.  Now I fear we’re spoiling our little one.  Playing a few games on the midway makes me feel incredibly guilty, simply because we never had money to blow when I was a kid.  But guess what?  I’m pretty good and I win something every year.  And then there are the rides.  My parents always made sure I had the money to ride but tickets were precious.  Now we have as many tickets as we would like and I don’t want our little one thinking that is no big deal.  They cost money and are not to be taken for granted.  I guess in a way I’m glad she doesn’t get it and in another I very much need for her to understand.  This year we rode a few rides and I told her she needed to choose carefully.  And, for the first time, we all rode the Texas Star (the Ferris wheel) as a family.  It was the tallest Ferris wheel in North America from 1985 until 2013.  We waited until dark go on the midway and I have always thought the rides are SO much cooler at night.  When I was little it was all rock that blared through the speakers; now it’s all rap.  But it never fails — whenever I ride this one “scary” ride I literally feel I’m back in junior high with my hair spray painted red and blue, wearing my Def Leppard shirt.  It is literally like being transported back in time.  And, just like when I was a girl, if I am honest it still makes me giddy when I get an extra ride — now with my daughter!  I would like to believe I’ve still got it.  This was the same ride I used to ride with my mother while my father stood and watched us; just as Burk stood watching us this night.  William Shakespeare, often regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, said, “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”  For me growing up, the fair was a break from problems and a chance to believe that anything was possible.  I want our little one to have that same giddiness and sheer joy but without the worry.  I know my parents wanted the same for me.  It is a time for frivolity and fun.  You won’t be sorry;  if you get the chance, come and visit the great State Fair of Texas.

I am allergic to cinnamon and bleach.  People seem to feel so sorry for me that I’m allergic to cinnamon.  Trust me; it’s no hardship when it causes you violent migraines that can last for days.  Or, if ingested, it can cause an outbreak that makes the mange look appealing.  I have learned that if I smell either one of them to run as if the plague were after me.  It turns out that my little one got my cinnamon allergy at least.  I TOLD someone I feared she might be allergic but they gave her cinnamon applesauce anyway.  My little two and a half year old (at the time) had a wickedly red, itchy stomach for days and she can still remember it.  So she knows to avoid it.  SOMEhow she got a hold of something with cinnamon and she ate it anyway.  Her face promptly broke out in a bumpy red rash that looked progressively worse as the day wore on.  I got a call from the school nurse asking permission to put some cortisone cream on it.  I told her she could put whatever she deemed necessary on her face to get it under control.  As fate would have it, my little one was up for a modeling audition the next day.  As we were standing in line I tried not to stare with horror at the massive red bumps around her lips.  “It looks bad,” she proclaimed.  Not wanting to lie, I just said that by now she knows what cinnamon looks and smells like and to just stay away from it in the future.  I could tell she was feeling self-conscious and that’s when I made the decision to bring her into a make-up store while we were just waiting around.  “We’re going in here for ME?!” she asked with no small amount of incredulity.  I let her know in no uncertain terms I did not approve of her wearing make-up.  This, however, was to cover up a bad rash on her face and I told her that in this case it was acceptable.  You can see by this picture she was so thrilled to be there!  I used to listen to my father complain that my mother never wore lipstick until he went off to Korea.  I love that he loved her just the way she was.  To me natural beauty always shines though.  The American singer Tina Turner said:

“My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself.  I don’t use special creams or treatments – I’ll use a little bit of everything.  It’s a mistake to think you are what you put on yourself.  I believe that a lot of how you look is to do with how you feel about yourself and your life.  Happiness is the greatest beauty secret.”

I wish for my little one to understand the key to happiness in all things lies within.