Magical moment 177, "Take Out Pizza and Joy"

Joy and I walked through the wide, open lawn outside our apartments. With gardens in full bloom and lush trees providing shelter from the summer sun, it was a picturesque scene. On this lazy Saturday afternoon, we walked by 2 older ladies relaxing in the shade, passing time with conversation and take out pizza from the Italian restaurant across the street. They each sported their own shade of white hair and were clearly enthralled in each other’s friendly company.

One of the ladies spotted Joy and gasped with pleasure. “Oh! I haven’t seen one of those dogs in ages.” She exclaimed to her friend. Overhearing her remark, I changed our course from left to right, so they could get a better look at my pride and Joy. I smiled as we approached and it was clear they longed to pet her. I cut through the grass towards their two white lawn chairs and smiled widely as they oozed over Joy.

Joy, bursting with excitement, rolled happily onto her back, exposing her tummy for bountiful scratches from her two new friends. The two ladies’ ecstatic reaction was more than the expected, “what a cute dog,” that I’m used to hearing from strangers. They were genuinely delighted. “Thanks honey,” one of them said to Joy. “You made my day.” I walked away smiling, thinking, “You actually made mine.”

Comments

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le...

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-...

Search This Blog