39 thoughts on “Thinking Christmas!”

  2. The second picture touched my heart. I live in Davis where there is a vet school. i think it is wonderful that the students volunteer in Sacramento, the capital of California, helping the homeless pets. http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/clubs/mercer/ Every year they have a coat drive for the homeless pets to keep them warm during the winter. They also offer veterinary care during the year, near the local shelter. This is a charity that is fond to me and I support every year.

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    • It is so nice to hear about vets who go out of their way when necessary, and also about us “regular folk” who support them. We have similar circumstances here. It restores some degree of faith in human nature in a time when so many people think no further than themselves.

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  3. Just thinking : two very much loved beautiful dogs, yet living very different lives. Thank-you for reminding us that animals and their humans need our help ALL year long!

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  5. On another topic altogether, I saw your comment on Jill’s blog that 2017 was a banner year for breakthroughs for Ray. I had that sense since I’ve been reading you for a while but it was good to have it confirmed. That’s a blessing for sure. When I last visited the San Francisco area, I saw homeless with dogs. Maybe milder temps. In the early morning I also saw restaurant workers provide leftover food for the pups (and homeless) who looked very well cared for. As another commenter said, our area isn’t a place where homeless people can have dogs because of shelter access in bitter weather.

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  6. Thank you for ‘giving voice’ to a subject that is near and dear to me and my hubby’s heart in this and your last post…Yours and Ray’s ‘voice’ make it uniquely your own, yet resonates within all those of the same mind/heart who hear it and stirs all those who will allow it to enter into their heart.
    While the problem is vast, really, the solutions are simply: one-step at a time…but there do need to be steps actually taken. Each person – whether displaced or not – makes a difference.
    peace

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    • That is the whole point isn’t it. You do not need lots of money to make a difference. A simple gesture of recognition (affirming that they exist) costs nothing but a few moments of time. A cup of coffee on a cold day cost very little. Even providing food and shelter for a street teen costs only a little more than a Starbuck’s coffee. Is it really difficult to accept giving up a coffee or two every month in order to help others?

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      • For me not. In the beginning of my time in this town, I looked at these people to try to check, if they were abusers or just homeless people. I don’t wish to support abuse. So I started up buying dog food for their dog and gave them this, when I went out of the shop, they have placed themselves in front of.
        Later I found out, whom of them were real homeless and whom were abusers. I buy either dog food or human food to the abusers and give money to the homeless, when I’m able to.

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  9. Huge contrast and sadly, our dog lives a more comfortable life than many people. We don’t see many homeless people with dogs in our area, our cities and towns aren’t necessarily that dog-friendly and for a homeless person having a dog may limit their access to shelter, etc.

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    • I hoped it would be. Perhaps Christmas is an opportune time to dwell on our very good standard of living, and acknowledge that well over half of the world falls well below us? Perhaps, instead of complaining about the cost of food, daycare, public transit, taxes etc., we could appreciate what we have? Perhaps, just perhaps, instead of contemplating a bigger home, an additional car, replacing the outdated furniture, modernizing the kitchen etc., we could put at least some of that money towards raising the standard of living elsewhere in the world. A fresh water well, so the current practice of sharing the river with the livestock is not necessary, is not a huge investment in many countries. Likewise it does not cost much to subsidize rehabilitation of a homeless teen…. and there are so many other possibilities.

      Hi Hester! You got this lengthy response only because your Comment was the first one against the Post! Please don’t take it personally! 🙂

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