HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Despite our faltering economy; the idiocy of both parties of our elected Fat Cat Congressmen and women; the seeming inability of our President to Presidentially sit down with our Congressional Super Committee to hammer out a deal to keep us out of default; the weak Republican field for President and a Democratic President that seems to put his 2012 campaign above our country’s welfare; our crumbling infrastructure; our woefully inadequate educational system; our plan to mistakenly cut aid to those who most need it; our plan to reduce defense spending in this very dangerous world; our rising joblessness and homelessness, we still have much to be thankful for in this the most free and still powerful country in the world.  So let us be thankful for all of God’s blessings and the lessons he gives us in our journey on earth.  Let us truly thank Him and pray for our people, our servicemen, our country, and our families.  Let us give Him thanks and Praise for what we do have!  Happy Thanksgiving, Meredith

 

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT WITH ALL OF OUR NATION’S CURRENT PROBLEMS,

WE ARE STILL THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!

There recently was a death of a 98-year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an ‘ulterior motive’. She KNEW what the Nazis’ plans were for the Jews (being German). Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried; and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack (for larger kids). She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infants’ noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.   She was caught, and the Nazis broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted. Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize.* She was not selected. President Obama won one year before becoming President for his work as a community organizer for ACORN and Al Gore won also— for a slide show on Global Warming.   63 years later In MEMORIAM – 63 YEARS LATER Please read the little cartoon carefully, it’s powerful. Then read the comments at the end. I’m doing my small part by forwarding this message. I hope you’ll consider doing the same. It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. Remember the  the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated! Now, more than ever, with Iraq , Iran , and others, claiming the HOLOCAUST to be ‘a myth’. It’s imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

~The’LITTLE‘ Things~               As you might remember, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow was alive because it was His turn to bring donuts. One woman was late because her Alarm clock didn’t go off in time. One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike Because of an auto accident. One of them Missed his bus. One spilled food on her clothes and had to take Time to change. One’s Car wouldn’t start. One couldn’t Get a taxi. The one that struck me was the man Who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, Took the various means to get to work But before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.. Now when I am Stuck in traffic, Miss an elevator, Turn back to answer a ringing telephone… All the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, This is exactly where God wants me to be At this very moment.. Next time your morning seems to be Going wrong, You can’t seem to find the car keys, You hit every traffic light, Don’t get mad or frustrated; It may be just that God is at work watching over you. May God continue to bless you With all those annoying little things And may you remember their possible purpose. Pass this on to someone else, if you’d like. God’s Love Is Not Dependent On E-Mail or copying and forwarding messages as I have just donel!!  Don’t’ you think this is a Great Message? Meredith (that’s the cool part) AMEN

It is never, ever easy to lose one of our beloved Cavaliers, or any pet for that matter.  Colleen was a wonderful older Cavalier who found a wonderful family to love her as much as I loved her. My late husband Al (oh, I hate that word “late” in this context) have always believed that every Cavalier deserves its own pillow and there are just not enough pillows to go around at our home. Al and I have always tried to do what we felt was best for our dogs which often meant their own special pillow in their own special homes.

There is a certain joy in adopting an older Cavalier or an older dog of another breed. The shelters are full of older dogs who need one more chance for a life well lived.  Dr. Mark Harris of Annehurst Vet Hospital in Westerville, Ohio, just sent the Annehurst rescue team to Missouri to bring back twenty six rescued dogs and cats from the flood waters.  The clinic needs to place them before the team can head to Joplin to help with the homeless pets there. The clinics number is 614 882 4728. Ask for Leslie if you wish to make a donation or to offer to share your home with a special pet. Tell her that I sent you.

I am not sharing the following email to feature Rattlebridge or myself but to point out the joy in adopting and sharing your life with an mature dog. There are many other breeders who care as much as I do and would be willing to fill your lives with joy. M

From one of our Rattlebridge Extended Families:

Dear Meredith, I am writing this to you today with very sad news. We lost our little doggie, Colleen, very unexpectedly to heart failure very early Saturday morning. She was under cardiology treatment for 2 years, but I still didn’t know this would come so soon. She was almost 12. She was the absolute light of our life and I am thanking you for that. You knew Colleen needed a home like ours when Rich came to visit you that day. When he brought her home in the car to surprise me, I had no idea she would mean the world to me. That little dog, with her big heart and huge eyes, filled a space in my heart that was left empty by the loss of my parents. Unfortunately, we both have experienced terrible losses in our lives.

We have always called Colleen the perfect dog, she never left messes, she never left our laps. Colleen was the snuggliest dog I have ever had and i am missing her terribly right now. Our home is so quiet and my lap is empty. I miss hearing her snorts and snores coming from the other room. I miss her climbing on my lab while i was reading letting me know she was the important one at the moment and needed some scratches. I miss her climbing on the back of our sofa, watching us leave through the window and controlling the neighborhood from her spot. I can’t stop crying for her and I know she wouldn’t want me to be so sad. I just want her back. I want to watch her chase butterflies through the yard and snuggle my face once more. So thank you for giving us such joy with Colleen. We loved her so much, that now we are feeling the loss. I have attached two photos of her for you. The one of her looking out the window, that was her favorite spot watching the birds in the fountain. That was taken the day she passed. She looked happy, not sick.

 

Once again, Meredith, Thank you for filling our hearts with joy. Colleen was so special to us. I just want you to know how much you mean to us, because it is through you that we get to experience something so special. I just want you to know that. Thank you!

My father served in World War II; my husband served in the Navy; one brother served in the Army in Germany and one brother retired from the Army.  On this day let  us reflect on the sacrifice that our service men and women made and are still making for our freedom.  I am most deeply disturbed about how we treat our veterans and especially disabled veterans as well as widows and widowers of the Valiants who gave their lives for our freedom or came back with severe disabilities which most bear courageously with no self pity.  Look at the following video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbV3lf1HzQI&feature=player_detailpage

Oh my, I can remember all of these so well especially the stupid S & H stamps and the ice cube tray!

 

Your entire childhood in one email….   45 rpm spindles                      Green Stamps                             Metal Ice cube trays     Beany and Cecil                       Roller-skate keys                              Cork pop guns     Marlin Perkins                   Drive in  Movies                              Drive  in restaurants             Car Hops                              Studebakers                                 Topo Gigio     Washtub wringers           The Fuller Brush Man        Sky King                     Reel-To-Reel tape recorders     Tinkertoys                           Erector Sets Lincoln Logs   15 cent hamburgers                    5 cent packs of baseball cards                          Penny candy   25 cent a gallon gasoline                                     Jiffy Pop popcorn               5 cent stamps    Gum wrapper chains Chatty Cathy dolls 5 cent Cokes          Speedy Alka-Seltzer Cigarettes for Christmas           Falstaff Beer    Burma Shave signs              Brownie camera                                       Flash bulbs       TV Test patterns Old Yeller Chef Boy-AR-dee          Fire escape tubes                         Timmy and Lassie Ding Dong Avon calling       Brylcreem  Aluminum Christmas Trees If you can remember most or all of these, then you’ve been around a while.  Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their ‘grown-up’ life.

I have many things for which to be grateful.  I try daily to list my gratitudes to God  and there are many.  Now that I have had a pacemaker installed to raise my heart rate from 40-50 which it has been running for several years, I am finally getting out of mind numbing and overwhelming fatigue not helped by my grief of losing my Al almost a year ago now.  I have several blog items in the works and am even looking at Facebook again!  I also want to share the latest photosof my Rattlebridge Cyber Dawn; I am really grateful to have this young, beautiful, and totally adorable boy in my life and usually fighting for space on my lap. 

             Rattlebridge Cyber Dawn

Thought the following was important enough to share:  M.

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ‘ This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received. I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section.. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed." How is it that there is no work going on here? ‘ I asked.
"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments"
"How does one acknowledge God’s blessings? " I asked.  "Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord. "

"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. "
"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."
"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness … You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. "
"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation … You are ahead of 700 million people in the world."
"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."
"If your parents are still alive and still married …you are very rare."
"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you’re unique to all those in doubt and despair……"
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all. Have a good day, count your blessings , and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are

I was asked to keep this going – and will gladly do so WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME This email is being circulated around the world – please keep it going When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard…. ..to listen to his son whine about being bored.   ….to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.            to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.   …to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night’s sleep.   ..to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.   ….to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.   ..to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.   ….to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they’re afraid to   send their kids off to summer camp.    ….to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.     ….to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.   ….to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.   …..to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.     …..to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.     ….to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house. The only thing harder than being a Soldier… Is loving one.     I was asked to pass this on and I will gladly do so, Will you???