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A man appeared before St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.
'Have you ever done anything of particular merit?' St. Peter asked.
'Well, I can think of one thing', the man offered. 'Once, on a trip to
the Black Hills out in South Dakota, I came upon a gang of Bikers who were
threatening a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they
wouldn't listen. So, I approached the largest and most heavily tattooed
Biker and smacked him in his face, kicked his bike over, ripped out his
nose ring and threw it on the ground. I yelled, Now back off or I'll
kick the s**t out of all of you.'
St. Peter was impressed, 'When did this happen?'
'Just a couple of minutes ago...'
Usual apologies
These are from Julie
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A Dog’s Purpose (from a 6-year-old’s point of view).
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Ryan, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Ryan to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Ryan seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Ryan, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ‘I know why.’
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, ‘People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?’ The six-year-old continued, ‘Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.’
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
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