Inspiration:
Do not be too hard, lest you be broken; do not be too soft,
lest you be squeezed.–Ali ibn Abi Talib
“All The Stuffing Pulled Out”
Life is, sadly, full of stuff that gets broken. Maybe you’re just having a look around the table for crumbs and a cup falls off and shatters. Or maybe your nicest leash just plain wears out and breaks. But you know what is the saddest? When stuff breaks because you broke it, and you knew at the time you were doing it, but didn’t stop…All of us, dogs and people, don’t do things we know we should do, and do do things that we know we shouldn’t. Somehow, things are bound to get broken before you ever set your teeth on them.
Forgiveness from the people who love you is good. And we can remember that this kind of brokenness happens for all of us, and be ready to forgive others and ourselves. And we can work on ways to do things better the next time, like when Mama buys me toys that don’t have any stuffing in them to come out. And sometimes, when we are lying on the floor with all our stuffing pulled out, someone will come along, and instead of throwing us out will take the time to tuck the stuffing back in, and sew on a patch, and we’ll go on, not the same as before, but still good.
by Taz, the six-year-old Belgian Tervuren, companion of Lynn Ungar, the CLF’s minister for lifespan learning.
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I have been having a lot of stuffing knocked out times lately but am so fortunate in my friends and family who come along and help put my stuffing back , sew on a patch and get me moving again.
I hope I can be as good at helping them as they have been at helping me. I think God for everyone of them in my life.
Dear Taz,
Yesterday I had the stuffing knocked out of me – partly by my own actions, partly by others. It’s the compassion of beings like you that helps patch me up.
Thank you-
Thanks, Eliza. Glad to be a patcher. Of course, the best thing to do when you get the stuffing knocked out of you is to hug a dog. I would be happy to volunteer for this, but I think we’re too far away for anything but cyber-hugs. Which is, of course, not nearly as nice as burying your face in my lovely ruff. Hope you’ve gotten your stuffing back!
–Taz