To my son James;

Preface: I have and am in the process of writing letters to all of my children. They have not received them and will not until I pass from this life and to my next. I am sharing them here for you my readers, to think about and in the hopes that you will write yours...

Now, I’m compelled to tell you of all the things about you that fills me with pride and awe. Another long list of what you have achieved, the person you are, your character and integrity. I want to place wishes on you and insist that they all become true for you. I want you to stand at the head of the table and have everyone who ever knew you, come forward and pay tribute to you. But, you would hate that too.

It’s never about what you have done or anything that you are capable of doing. It’s only ever about who you are; the real value is in the fact that you exist.

No, you don’t need to be told who you are or what you are capable of. You don’t judge yourself by such things and I don’t want you to do that either. You are your own person and you are comfortable in your own skin, and at the end of the day, that tells me that I have done well even though I have been separated from you due to divorce. That tells me, that you are ready for
the world and the world will be better for having you as a participant.

I really don’t need to tell you any of this - I even wonder now what impact any of the words have ever had. I do believe that I have taught you by example, but more than that, I think you have always known my heart. The umbilical cord might just be symbology for the heart to heart connection between mother and child but the spirit I believe is father to son.

When you leave your home, I will light an imaginary candle and place it on the window-sill. Think about it, if you wander into shadows or if you need to lighten up. Let it always be your beacon.

And all in all, there are only three things left to say to you, “I am proud of you and I love you James. You are in my heart and my pocket for ever and ever.”

MY SONS FIRST FISHING TRIP

The day was perfect in 2000. It was a picturesque, warm, late spring day with a clear, azure blue sky overhead. It was the ideal day to take my son on his first fishing excursion. With his brand new Spiderman signature series rod and reel combo and plastic tackle box Jake was ready for big game fish. You need to understand the importance of this whole thing. I past the big 40 in age and this boy is my last born son and last child that will leave the house someday. After raising 4 other children, the good LORD blessed me and my wife Gwen with a bouncing baby boy in 1995. Having a son is an experience. I had no idea what lay in store for me, but as it now plays out, I'm enjoying every minute of it. This fishing day is one of those mile markers in the journey.

My goal in taking my son fishing, or spending time at sporting events is that I want to develop a relationship with my children. I want to have influence in their lives and train them up in the way they should go. I realize that my time with them, in the formative years, is fleeting. I have only a short time to impart to them knowledge that I want them to have. I want them to know the Almighty God and to realize that they need HIM more than anything or anyone in the world.

YUCK!!! WHY DOES MY DOG EAT CAT POOP...

OMG its is the nastiest thing. You start playing with mans best friend then you get licked on the face. All of a sudden you smell it and remember that he continually gets into the cat box. ARGH...

I did some research to find out what and why he does this and I found that it is called Coprophagia. This is the 'proper' name for stool eating, and it is in fact a normal canine behavior. A momma dog keeps her nest/den clean by eating the feces of her young puppies. As they pups grow, they copy this behavior and try to 'help mom with the housework'! Poop eating seems perfectly normal to them.

Although, once weaned and out of the nest, many puppies tend to stop this practice, others continue the habit even when they've moved to their 'forever homes'.

Generally puppies will grow out of stool eating within a few weeks, but for some it can become a long-lasting pattern that leaves their owners scratching their head and sighing... "WHY does my dog eat poop?"

Generally speaking, coprophagia isn't dangerous, just unpleasant and 'icky'. This is especially true when your pup or dog just eats his own stool.

BUT, if little Fido seems intent on snacking on every random poop he finds, or thinks 'kitty crunchies' from the cat litter box are the best treats ever, then it can become hazardous to his health.

Many of the most dangerous and contagious dog illnesses are transmitted through feces. If your pooch ingests the poop of a sick dog, he could get very ill himself.

The same applies to cat poop, plus cat litter isn't a great thing to be swallowing at the best of times! It can 'clump' together and cause an intestinal blockage, or at the very least make your puppy vomit.

Parasites such as worms can also be transmitted through the ingestion of feces, that is not something you want for your puppy.

If the question 'why does my dog eat poop?' is often in your mind, there are a few things you can do to discourage/prevent your pup from taking part in his very own 'poop fest'. Try these options:

• Take a look at the dog food you use
  Be sure that you're feeding your pooch a high quality, nutritious diet. A good dog food is highly digestible and results in fewer stools, and those stools are definitely less attractive as potential snacks because they're not full of the undigested fillers and junk that cheaper, lower quality foods contain.


• Don't overfeed
  Watch that you don't give your pup too much food. Overfeeding can result in undigested dog food in his feces, which makes them smell and taste really good to Fido!


• Pick up the poop
  Scoop the poop from your yard promptly. Don't just leave it there and wait for the weekend (or whenever), to clean up. Do it on at least a daily basis.


• Use a leash
  Keep your pup on a leash when you take him out. If he's a dedicated stool eater use the leash even if he's just going 'potty' in the back yard. If he tries to nibble on his stool, tell him "NO" firmly and 'pop' or tug his leash as a correction. Redirect his interest right away with a treat or a game.


• Try the hot stuff!
  You can try pouring hot sauce (or something similar) onto the stool piles. It will make them a lot less appetizing to your puppy. Of course, if you're going to take the time and trouble to do this, it's just as easy to pick them up.


• Or try tenderizer
  Some people find that a bit of meat tenderizer sprinkled on their dogs' food can make the stools less palateable.


• Coprophagia deterrents/preventatives
  To eliminate the stool eating, there are a few simple but effective products available that can be added to your dogs food. Once the food containing these products has passed through Fidos' digestive system, the resulting feces are very unappealing!

The current economy: fear, constriction, and dissociation OR a potent opportunity for discovery, growth, and transformation?

The current economy: fear, constriction, and dissociation OR a potent opportunity for discovery, growth, and transformation?We are powerless to change that which we lack conscious awareness of.

Given our current financial condition, it is time to explore both our personal and collective relationship with money more deeply. Money can be a very powerful teacher of what we have yet to learn about who we are as human beings.

We all possess unconscious beliefs, patterns and behaviors around money that are largely unknown to us. It is time to embark upon a deeper learning and integrate money into our spiritual work. We created it, we made it powerful, and its movement in the world is a direct reflection of our consciousness. As we become increasingly more conscious of this aspect of ourselves, we can begin to co-create a more meaningful and sustainable experience with money and the world around us. The other reward we will receive for doing our personal money work, I believe, is access to the pure potentiality that money represents that will allow us to become more evolved and fulfilled in all areas of our lives. This potential is greater than we ever imagined possible.

It’s interesting to note that the early alchemists did not attempt to turn lead into gold for financial gain, they were seeking spiritual gain. Quite literally, the process of turning the darker, heavier metal of lead to gold was to raise one’s consciousness, not one’s wealth. The alchemists were seeking enlightenment. On the path of seeking spiritual truth, gold was merely a physical manifestation of their enlightenment.

Until we understand and transform our relationship with money and become the alchemists in our own lives, money will always be problematic. Seeking to possess it without understanding its true purpose and meaning in our lives will only leave us feeling more conflicted and unfulfilled. The journey is not about money. The journey is about truth and self-discovery, an archeological dig to the center of the truth of who we really are.Now, more than ever before we are all being called to delve deeper into our spiritual journey. We must take action to create a world to that values human beings and our planet above profit. We need to trust that there is enough for everyone. Spirit will provide. We must resist the temptation to go into fear and constriction as there is nothing that can be gained by this. That is a trap that only stands to fulfill itself. Now is the time to release and let go of all that no longer serves us so that we can create the space to receive that which does.

What will be your first action in this direction?

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

Hello all. Sorry that I have not written in awhile. Its been a very busy year and during the process I forgot my password. Any way I am now a Grandfather and oh my God it is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Second to my own kids of course. I will upload pictures later.

I hope all of you are doing well and have had a great year. I am watching TV with my G-Daughter right now and writing a bit so I will post more later about what has been happening. HAPPY HOLIDAYS....

By the way here is a picture of my youngest son and my Granddaughter..