Dog Psalm #100

To experience joy is to serve God.

Dog Psalm #91

I don't keep what God tells me under my hat.

What would be the point of that?

Love one another.

Dog Psalm #73

Prayer does not require kneeling.
It only requires a heart that wishes to
speak and listen to God.

Dog Psalm #71

God is near.
Heaven is all around us.

Dog Psalm #70

Hark

I hear an angel singing

the song in my heart
of peace on earth and mercy mild.

Dog Psalm #69

 

God doesn't love anyone more than me.

Or you.

Dog Psalm #68

Know your own soul.

Dog Psalm #67

Look inward for insight.

Sound the Shofar

“Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim,” 

(“May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”)

 Celebrate and renew your relationship with the divine.

Dog Psalm #42

For the world is not painted or adorned

but is from the beginning beautiful;

and God has not made some beautiful things,

but Beauty is the creator of the universe.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dog Psalm 27

My business is not to remake myself,

but make the absolute best of what God made.

Robert Browning

GoD and DoG

 The best book I ever read.

and it's not just a book -

it's an animated video and a song.

Go enjoy it!

Dog Psalm #21

There is a power in me that's greater than the small self I've been accustomed to; it's larger than the way I've been trained to think about who I am. It's my soul self. In cooperating with it I surrender to a part of me that carries wisdom and truth. It brings me back into harmony and balance with myself. This is my spirituality: an internal guide and inner knowing. 

God dwells in me, as me. 

This I believe.

Dog Psalm 14

God is here.

In this stone wall.

 

In the mind that planned it.
In the hands that made it.

In the earth that it holds.

In the people and animals who pass by

and those who stop to rest or play.

In the rain that will wash it.
In the snow that will fall on it.

In the sun that dries it.
In our moments together.

I find you, Great Spirit, everywhere.
Or is it that you find me? 
I am so grateful for your nearness.

The 'fall back' walk

On this All Souls Day there is dancing.

Beauty everywhere.

The wind drew this image.

Squirrel Invasion

     I always yowl at the squirrels when they taunt me on the fire escape. I hate them and not just because they have thumbs. Over the past few days those dirty rascals found a way into the attic and wall space and tormented us from every angle.  From the sounds of it at first they were busy on renovations to make their winter home cozy.  Then they became frantic when they discovered their entrance had been closed off by a helpful maintenance man. There was thrashing and bashing and skittering; bumping and thumping; chewing, chomping and clawing. For God's sake stay off the electrical wires! Your soul will go straight to heaven. But the smell of your death will be with us for months.
     There are a lot of rules for getting rid of squirrels for people. Rules that seem silly to dogs. Hunt them down and drive them out! That was my strategy. Luckily I was not alone. My excessive sharp barking, pawing and whining I finally drove them down to the second floor where Harley and her people live and she employed my tactic. Eventually Harley went down to the basement with her people and the landlord to do a "squirrel check". Earlier in the day a tenant had been accosted by a squirrel while doing laundry. The people looked and looked but couldn't find the perpetrator. But Harley had sniffed the crafty culprit out.  She signaled the people by standing near and whining at the trash can.  They eventually got a clue and came over.  As they peered in - out popped a squirrel who then ran out the open window as the people screamed and Harley wagged triumphantly.
     During our nose to nose 'post mortem' conversation, we always have a chat about house happenings through the crack under her door when I am in the hall, Harley mentioned that the squirrel flipped her off as he darted out the window. I don't doubt it. It's that kind of attitude that brews my dislike of them.

Two paws up for Harley!!

We love you. That's why we left you cookies in the mailbox.
Your Mom said your "getting a big head".  I think you should.
Nice work.

Sunday Dog Psalm #13

Three things can not long be hidden:
the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Gautama Siddharta

 

God is the sun and His rays fall upon your heart,

not impeded by the clouds of egoism,
the lotus blooms and petals unfold.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence

see how the stars, the moon, the sun, how they move in silence...

we need silence to be able to touch souls.

Mother Theresa

Sunday Dog Psalm #3

God seeks me in the garden

Small, white, butterfly
Always hovering nearby

Ghost that I glimpse from the side of my eye
Darting through blossoms, resting on leaves
Taking advantage of sunshine and breeze

Pointing out a shapely cloud
Waiting on the mailbox
inquisitive antenna cocked

Reminding me
as mortality rages on
Death is not the final stop

Sunday Dog Pslam #2

Dear Heavenly One,
Thank you for nature and walks and the time to commune
with my person and our surroundings.
Thank you for my ability to take scent pictures
and my knowledge of the language of trees.

People use cameras to capture and see, recall, envision.
I use my nose.
My nose is like a highly sophisticated camera.
Humans can not even begin to fathom my
shutter speed or white balance mechanism
it is so finely, cosmically tuned.

I have an internal instrument that allows me to connect and create.
And I thank the Great Being for this wonderous gift.

I can convert my scent pictures into 3-d movie dreams
that enable me to live the story.
My paws run, I snort, bark, twitch.
I am fully engaged with what I have encountered.
I reconstitute and recreate.
I can return to each story again and again
in search of meaning, knowledge, connection.

This tree tells me
the story of a man who sought freedom 200 years ago,
he was running from persecution.
He rested often beneath this tree
and the time, shade and roots taught him
how to stop running,
and stand for Freedom.

This tree tells me
of the wealthy but neglected child
who stabbed at this tree
trying to find his own true heart
as he waited for the school bus
angry, lonely and afraid.

This tree tells me
of the birds and squirrels who used this tree as safe harbor
from weather, predators and famine.
The hardships of being other, lame or weak.
The demands of being forthright, resilient, strong.

This tree tells me
of the circle and cycle of life.
It is home to the vibrant red cardinal
who is the reincarnation of Rosie the greyhound.
Recognizing her reassures, encourages, teaches us.

This tree tells me
what is
and if
I am home.

Like so many others,
I leave my stories here
with this great tree
the glorious Wayland Tree
I leave them to honor and cherish
the world and myself

This tree tells me I am a part of the story of
struggle and transcendence.
This tree tells me how to recognize peace
and piece together the elements of eternity.