Are you uncertain of your purpose in life?

I just read a quote from a book called: Mother Angelica's Little book of life lessons...........

"Everything starts with one person.................I don't care if you are 5 or 105, God from all eternity chose you to be where you are, at this time in history, to change the world."--Mother Angelica--

So, how are we to connect with God to find out what He chose us for? First of all we must spend time with Him daily and connect with Him. If it is all about connecting with Him, then we must keep the lines of communication open. Use whatever works for you... Sometimes you may want to listen to music; other times you may go for a walk, or read a passage from a book, or read Scriptures. And then there are days where you may need silence and solitude..sit in your garden and just listen to the birds....The point is simply to do whatever will bring you closer to our Creator, away from all the other distractions of life. If it will help you, pull out your calendar and write down well in advance the times when you want to do some of these things, otherwise it may not  happen. We are used to scheduling doctor appointments, dinner with friends, projects or whatever else, why not schedule time with God?

Dogs Can Transform The Lives of People

I never grew up with pets. We got a dog when we came to the United States. I was about 18 years old. My brother saw an add in the paper and the next things we knew he brought home this little adorable male, half-doberman/half-shepherd puppy. We named him Lucky. He was no bigger than the size of my shoe. We all fell in love with him..That was my first exposure to owning a dog. After he passed away we got Bunny and after Bunny passed away we got Fluffy, the CAT.....Pets bring a tremendous joy and pleasure to our lives and as wonderful as that is, dogs and cats (and other pets) can provide so much more. Dogs especially can provide invaluable services to individuals who may be impaired or simply need a little companionship to live independent lives.


According to Working Like Dogs, a resource for people around the world with working and service dogs, assistance dogs transform the lives of their human partners who have physical or mental disabilities. They perform many tasks and are classified as :
Guide Dogs-assisting people with vision loss
Service Dogs-assisting people with disabilities with walking, balance, dressing, retrieving and carrying items,opening doors etc..
Hearing Alert Dogs-assisting people who have hearing loss with door bells, telephones, smoke alarms, fire and smoke alarms
Seizure Alert Dogs-respond or alert humans to medical conditions, such as epilepsy, panic attack, heart attack, stroke and other seizures
Therapy Dogs-often volunteer at hospitals, visiting the patients or visit the elderly at assisted living facilities or nursing homes. (Research has shown that nursing home residents report less loneliness when visited by dogs than when they spend time with other people).


Dogs and cats can also help with a number of medical conditions, such as reducing blood pressure, and heart rates. Petting a dog or a cat is known to calm anxiety and promote a feeling of relaxation. Taking your dog for a walk promotes physical activity and exercise that we may not otherwise be doing. Dogs encourage social interaction, while you are walking...fellow dogwalkers may come up to you to chat which could turn out to be an opening for friendship, and last but not least a dog can be the companion you enjoy coming home to after a long day.


So, there you have it, whether they are professional working dogs or the everyday pet, dogs can provide many services to us and we should be thankful for that! They work hard to make our lives more bearable.