Paw Prints in the Sand

If you have ever read the poem "Footprints," you know that we never really walk alone. As we walked on the beach in Ocean Park, Maine I often contemplated that theory. Are we really alone in this world trying to figure things out for ourselves or are we really accompanied by something bigger then ourselves? Aside from the obvious family and friends that share our journey in life, is there someone or something else guiding our path? The best thing God ever did was create pets, specifically, Dogs. I am a cat person too and have my loyalties to my childhood pets but currently, my heart lies in Blackie! If ever there was a time when I needed to feel God walking beside me, on this cool and rainy Maine day, Blackie left her mark to evoke assurance that I am not alone in this world.

As always I had my camera with me on our walk through Ocean Park. I had never been to Ocean Park in October and I have been going there my whole life. It was a sight to be seen and I found myself over and over again, praising the beauty around me and basking in the sights of the Fall foliage turning just shy of peak. The colors were brilliant, fiery, vibrant and made me feel alive with each glance. I was a kid in the candy store, or better yet a child setting eyes on the packages piled high under a Christmas tree before anyone had woken up yet! I could not get over the amazing colors that would transform a landscape, that for many months all wore the same shades of green (a uniform solidarity despite the vast variety of species), and bring out the uniqueness hiding within. Everything once appearing to be similar now carrying unique traits that made each tree stand out from the next. A powerful thought, we are all human yet we have so much to offer that is more then skin deep. Even more empowering, how great to be able to look deeper, be more thoughtful, and express how our differences we hold within, can create such beauty. Walking through the woods towards the beach, I knew that I was not alone. I knew that this creation of Mother Earth was alive, for me to breathe in, to appreciate and care for.

So, as I walked to the beach and happened upon Blackie's paw prints in the sand (following behind as to capture life's moments in a picture) I was reminded of the poem "Footprints". We all walk the earth looking upward for guidance. There has to be more to this life, why else would we leave our mark here? I came upon Blackie's "paw prints" in the sand and smiled. Always faithful, always by my side, she is leaving her mark in my life. Kidd, her father, my other beloved dog who has passed on, certainly left his paw prints on my mind and in my heart. Back to the poem. Just when times get tough and I have found the need to take in a deep breath and sigh, I remind myself that I am not alone. I realized that the impressions of those who walk before us impact our daily lives. I am learning to develop my faith, to trust in it and to express that in my actions. I am trying to be more peaceful and gain a sense of my contributions to this planet. Beacuse in the end it will impact others.

In the creation of the beautiful beach I was walking on, as the waves calmly rolled in never the same, erasing prints left in the sand, I realized life is ever changing. Each day is a blessing and a chance to do things differently. Each day is an opportunity to live out unfinished plans and dreams. If I rely on my faith, and those who walk along side of me, I can make anything possible. I can look forward to a wonderful future knowing that the footprints I have left behind me impacted others. It is my hope that my impressions left are positive ones. Nature is a wonderful thing! On a walk through one of the most beautiful places on earth, breathing in the fresh air, clarity fell upon me. Live each day enjoying all that surrounds you for it gives great inspiration! And if you ever wonder if you are alone in this world, don't. You can be sure that there IS something bigger then ourselves out there, for it made the earth. Nature is all around us and breathtaking! Make each "paw print" that you leave behind count!

Can We Do Better? The Answer is YES!

I WILL LET THE ARTICLE SPEAK FOR IT SELF, FROM YAHOO.COM:

"Most polar bears could be lost by 2050: report"

By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent Fri Sep 7, 6:27 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two-thirds of the world's polar bear population could be gone by midcentury if predictions of melting sea ice hold true, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on Friday.

The fate of polar bears could be even bleaker than that estimate, because sea ice in the Arctic might be vanishing faster than the available computer models predict, the geological survey said in a report aimed at determining whether the big white bear should be listed as a threatened species.

"There is a definite link between changes in the sea ice and the welfare of polar bears," said Steve Amstrup, who led the research team. Arctic sea ice is already at an all-time low this year and is expected to retreat farther this month, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

That means that polar bears -- some 16,000 of them -- will disappear by 2050 from parts of the Arctic where sea ice is melting most rapidly, along the north coasts of Alaska and Russia, researchers said in a telephone briefing.

Other polar bear populations could survive beyond that date but many of those could be gone by 2100, Amstrup said. By century's end, the only polar bears left might live in the Canadian Arctic islands and along the west coast of Greenland.

"Projected changes in future sea ice conditions, if realized, will result in loss of approximately two-thirds of the world's current polar bear population by the mid 21st century," the report's executive summary said.

"Because the observed trajectory of Arctic sea ice decline appears to be underestimated by currently available models, this assessment of future polar bear status may be conservative." ARE POLAR BEARS 'THREATENED'?

In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, noting polar bears depended on sea ice as a platform to hunt seals, their main prey.

The research released on Friday was sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service. A decision on the bears' status is expected in January.

Without enough sea ice, polar bears would be forced onto land, but they are inefficient hunters once they get out of the water and ice, the researchers said. The bears' disappearance would probably take place as young cubs failed to survive to adulthood and females were unable to reproduce successfully.

The first polar bears probably first appeared about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, and the species has not lived through a period as warm as the one predicted by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the scientists said.

In a series of reports this year, the U.N. climate panel said with 90 percent probability that global climate change was occurring and that human activities contributed to it. The emission of greenhouse gases -- including carbon dioxide from petroleum-fueled vehicles and coal-fired power plants -- is the prime human cause of this warming trend, the panel said.

Global warming was an important topic of discussions of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum this week in Australia and will be the subject of a special U.N. meeting later this month.

PLEASE LET US TRY TO DO BETTER, EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS. ONCE YOU CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO CENTER YOUR ENERGIES INTO SAVING OUR PLANET, RUN WITH IT!!!

BLESSINGS ON MOTHER EARTH, GO GREEN!!!!!

Can't We All Just Get Along!!!!

Everyone knows that there is no love lost between the Yankees and the Red Sox!!! I am sure you also know that I grew up a Mets fan until baseball went on strike! With my limited understanding of the working world and why money drove everything (still does), the ball games stopped and so did my interest! And then my beloved Gary Carter of my 1986 World Series winning Mets, left the Mets and appeared in a Dove soap commercial fit with an actress wife and children too!!!! My young heart was crushed!!!!! We were in love with him! I know so silly, but no shame in my game!!! I was 10!!!! I lost interest in the game!

So, back to those Yanks and Soxs! Turns out my family, having grown up in New England, are Red Sox fans. Timmy, the love of my life, is a diehard Yankee fan to the nth degree! So you can imagine the baseball season a conflicted one for me! The strike, way back when, gave me an easy out. When the game returned, I solely became a "fan of the game". We all love a good rivalry, Mom and Timmy are great at this but all in good fun! Both sides screaming and cheering at the tv, I wondered, "Can't we all just get along?"

Then it happened, two families converged on family vacations during the baseball season!!!!! Gramma can poke good fun, her humor surprising!!! Timmy is a good sport too! So, proudly Mom wears her Championship Red Sox jersey and Timmy in his Championship Yankee jersey! My point to all of this! Yankees and Red Sox fans alike can get along, root and cheer, and leave happily in peace!!!! We can learn from this experience! Great rivalries should only strengthen relationships between others, not divide them! At Christmas time, Mom happily dons Timmy with Yankees garb and ornaments, Gramma also gives him Yankees trinkets from her Red Sox heart! Timmy gladly returns the gesture and gifts Red Sox gear right back!

Can't we all just get along? I think YES! Here is picture proof at another New England family gathering! Katie in her Red Sox jacket and Timmy in his Yankee shirt, both proudly rubbing in who's boss and enjoying the friendly rivalry! So as we near the end of baseball season and the Yanks and Soxs are neck and neck in running for that Championship, remember it is just a game at the end of the day! We have to live with our neighbors, Yanks and Soxs fans alike, everyday! Be kind, root each other on and enjoy the great game of baseball!!!!! Go Team!!!

Did You Ever Hear the Saying, "Dogs Are People Too!" ?

I am a huge advocate of this and everyone who knows me will understand why I am! Take for example this wonderful experience! At a painting party for a good friend, in her brand new home, on one of THE hottest days of the year!!! The humidity and heat rendered most of us useless!!! Left the painting to the expert (Timmy)! While we girls gabbed and the baby cooed (sp?), once in a while Timmy and Blackie would take a break! On this occasion, a diaper break! Uncle Timmy and Blackie were right on the job and did a fabulous job. What makes me think that dogs are people too, is that Blackie in the midst of everything going on, took a break too, laid down next to the baby and kissed him! Yup, she gave him a wet one right in his ear! While he lay there, babbling away, Blackie acknowledged his need for TLC, as all babies need, and planted a wet smacker on this tiny baby ever so gently! I always say that Blackie knows when you need her right by your side!!!! Dogs have a knack of always knowing just when you need a kiss! Thank God for Dogs!!! Especially Blackie! They truly know what is important! As I said, always right by my side, where I need her most! And currently, taking an afternoon nap at my feet on my covers, snoring away blissfully!!!!

My first act as a Blogger!!!

In true fashion, I ended the day physically hurting and as usual desperate for sleep but found myself awake! My M.O. seems to be that I can not ever get comfortable and fall asleep, tonight is one of those nights. So here is my first post about absolutely nothing! A good friend has paved the way to blogspot.com and here I am! Thanks!!! With any luck these posts will be hopefully interesting, funny, and with maybe a bit of drama (we all have some). Until then, Nighty Night!!! In case you have forgotten how to go to sleep, maybe we should learn from one who does it best! Stretching out and snorring are a must!!!!