Wednesday, January 10, 2007

A Prayer

Dear God,

Please help me to be half the person that my dog thinks I am.

Amen.

- Author Unknown

16 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

The Bloggers Prayer

Lords prayer or the bloggers prayer?

Our Bloggers, who are on a charge, Hallowed be thy names
Thy Pings’ll come
Thy comment be done, on blog as it is in Rss
Give us this day our daily thread
and forgive us our bloginess
as we forgive those who lurketh against us
and lead us not onto a dead page
but deliver us from the poker spam
for thine is the sarcasm
and the power
to make the comments
over and over again

amen

(And may the Good Lord forgive me, I stole this from another blog) ;-)

Mary Ellen said...

BTW, LASunsett, that little prayer you posted in one of my favorites. Why can't humans be as kind, loving and forgiving as dogs? I wonder if Pitt Bulls are the closest canine to emulate humans? ...Some are sweet and kind and some would like to tear your throat out.

My personal favorite dog, the Chocolate Lab, because I have the sweetest one on earth (ok,I'm biased). She's as sweet as her name, Fannie May. (a well know chocolate candy from the midwest, in case someone isn't aware of that). :-)

Anonymous said...

Sweet prayer. I'm not a pet person (not for lack of love, but fear of responsibility to care for 'em properly), but I'm gonna relate a dog story to you.

Some time back, an odd group of people moved into the next door apartment. A lady in her late 40s, early 50s; her clean-cut high-school aged son; and two more high-school aged boys; neither could be her sons, and both were odd balls (I could hardly understand their English, and I had no such prior problem). There was a boyfriend coming and going, loud fights, kicks at the door at 3 am, broken doors, etc. The lady had a dog, too, a big, fat black one. In the beginning, we were scared. They would let him loose in the hallway, and he would greet us at the top of the stairs with a grin right in our faces. You know, a couple of steps away from the top, your face and the dog's are pretty much level and very close. When he had to go out on nature's call, they would simply let him in the hallway, and the poor thing would wait for someone coming in or going out for the main door to open. Same story to get back in into the hallway; and he would patiently wait in front of the apartment door to get inside his home. I got used to him soon, but my wife remained a bit concerned and tense around him. And, the striking thing is, he got it. Soon, he was backing off and sitting quietly in a far away corner when my wife was in the hallway. Just incredible. It makes you appreciate the razor-thin difference between us humans and animals. The sad thing is, the human of the household were too much for the quiet community; moreover, the lady turned out to be con artist, and ended up robbing another neighbor. She had been in and out of jail before. They were evicted before long. After all this was discovered, I couldn't help but think the dog outdid the owner in many ways. Although the lady probably deserves credit for good trainership, she really can use this prayer...

Mary Ellen said...

anonin

That dog sounds very much like Labrador. They are very sweet. My lab is the same way as far as her exuberance to greet others. Although, she is a "Therapy Dog", I bring her to hospitals and nursing homes to visit with the patients. They have to be specially trained and licensed to do this. At home, she can be a total goof, but as soon as she walks into the hospital, she knows that she is working and behaves so differently. She's calm and loving and not at all over exuberant. She is especially good with stroke patients for some reason. She always pulls me to the elevator and brings me in the direction of the rehab area first. It's really strange, she'll just put her head in their laps if they are in a wheel chair and look at them so lovingly.It's very sweet.

I think dogs and many other animals are very intuitive and it breaks my heart when I see owners who don't care for their pets properly.

It's too bad that you ended up with such horrible neighbors. I just shake my head when I see people like that. It's sad they waste their lives with that kind of behavior...yet, who knows how they were raised, maybe they were abused themselves.

Anonymous said...

I have three little dogs. They have trained my wife and I pretty well; we hardly make any mistakes that deserve punishment anymore.

Semper Fi

Mary Ellen said...

mustang

Good boy! Good boy! Now go lie down...

:lol:

You have described dog ownership to a tee. ;-)

LA Sunset said...

ME,

//(And may the Good Lord forgive me, I stole this from another blog) //

Say three hail marys and put a dollar in the box.

;)

LA Sunset said...

ME (again),

//I wonder if Pitt Bulls are the closest canine to emulate humans? //

Most dogs tend to do what their breed was trained to do, very well.

Bassets hunt well, Labs chase and retrieve well, Collies are good herders. Dachchis are only good for one thing and that is to chew every thing that hits the floor.

But Pit Bulls were trained to fight. There's something about them and Dobermans that makes them harsh watchdogs. They can and do sometimes turn on their owners.

LA Sunset said...

Anonim,

Not a surprising story. Many times dog outshines man in the integrity department. Thanks for sharing it.

LA Sunset said...

Mustang,

//I have three little dogs. They have trained my wife and I pretty well; we hardly make any mistakes that deserve punishment anymore.//

Can they train and get a dachchi to stop chewing everything that hits the floor? If so, I can mail her to you?

nanc said...

i'm sure you won't let him down.

Anonymous said...

Which one or ones might be true? Rather, which one or ones can you defend?

1. God created man in His image?
2. Man created God in his mind?
3. God created dog in His image?
4. Man created God in his mind as an idea, and also created dog as a physical approximation to this idea.

I am no expert on history of thought, but I gather, the first two are old ideas. The third option is my speculation inspired by the "dog prayer" after some twisting and context shifting. But, there exists such an idea as "all loving and only loving God," right? So, I merely remembered that and took note of the preceding discussion.

And, the fourth option is a necessary speculation upon the third one. For we humans must be part of the story. I also didn't consider a fifth option as "God created man and dog both in His image" since this images appear to be contradictory. Well, maybe not, and both creations have some striving to do towards a common yet to be understood image.

Anyway, I am not trying to be funny or provoke emotions. Just trying to stir some thought. So please no "how could I have descended from a monkey?" kind of response. Not that I expect such from the regulars of LASunsett's, but I don't wish to take a bullet from a drive-by shooter, either.

I actually believe that option 2 is right. But, being a good man (thanks, no cheers please) and considering the possibility that God actually exists, I would rather the truth be as in option 3 than in option 1. Subjective? Certainly.

What if God doesn't exist? Then, I am going to wish that there were more men espousing a God idea as in option 4. I have been and I will remain fearful of Pit Bull and Doberman fans.

P.S. The above speculation is also inspired by the following article I read recently:

Consciousness: The Achilles Heel of Darwinism? Thank God, Not Quite, by Nicholas Humphrey (appeared in Intelligent Thought, edited by John Brockman)

Fair warning: The author is known for his work on the evolution of human intelligence and consciousness. He is not hostile to God or believers, but he is not timid, either. Maybe a friendly atheist? I don't know. As the title may suggest, he gives God credence and then takes it back. All in all, an interesting read.

LA Sunset said...

Anonim,

//I have been and I will remain fearful of Pit Bull and Doberman fans.//

Many years ago, I had a Doberman. I lived in a rough neighborhood. In fact, it had the highest burglary rate, in town.

But my beloved "Mania" stood faithfully on guard and I never was broken into. I made sure the neighbors saw me walk her, so they all knew I had her. I have since surmised that they all knew of her existence and felt it wasn't worth the hassle of dealing with her.

Anonymous said...

LA, I'm sure you saw that my last sentence was rhetorical. Just trying to make sure it's not taken literally.

LA Sunset said...

//LA, I'm sure you saw that my last sentence was rhetorical. Just trying to make sure it's not taken literally.//

I figured as much. I just wanted to tell you about my Doberman, that's all.

Besides, I wouldn't think that you are fearful of much. Most Turks I have met in my lifetime have never given me the impression that they were afraid of anything. ;)

Always On Watch said...

I have cats. I have to pray for patience. LOL.

Hot Rodder's Prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep;
I parked my hot rod on the street.
If it should roll before I wake,
I pray the Lord to pull the brake.

I couldn't help interjecting that bit of fun. :-)