This is my wonderful, sweet, loving, smart, and handsome boy…and I love him with all my heart!
I remember the day the doctor told me I was pregnant…just a few weeks along but it was official. I had only been married about 6 weeks and I was in a state of shock. I couldn’t believe how blessed we were. It was the best thing that had ever happened to me and my husband (of course, aside from finding each other and getting married!). We were both thrilled…and when I gave birth at the “advancing” age of 40 (my OB/GYN called it a geriatric pregnancy!), we welcomed our son, Benjamin, into the world. He’s been a real joy to raise and has developed into quite the charming gentleman…just like his Dad!
As I have shared with you in the past, my son Ben, has dyslexia. It’s been quite a struggle for him through the years when it came to learning how to read but when he – and other kids – discovered Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series he became super cool in the eyes of his peers. It’s amazing what a boost like that can do for a kid!
If you have a child who has dyslexia or other learning difference, I can’t say enough good things about Riordan’s series of books. I read the first two books in the series aloud to Ben, and then we discovered Learning Ally which read the books aloud to us!
Be sure to check out Learning Ally if you have a child who is blind or has dyslexia. They are an amazing organization with a huge pool of volunteers who create audio recordings of books. This allows those who struggle with reading to listen to practically anything they want.
If you’re not eligible to participate in Learning Ally’s program, you can find the Percy Jackson series of audio books at your local library. You and your kids will surely enjoy them as they are highly entertaining for kids and adults alike!
“K-9 Kids” of Austin Dog Alliance and the Humane Society of Williamson County teamed up last summer to find forever homes for loving dogs.
Hi Sweet Friends,
Those of you who know me well, also know about my passion for dogs. I love them unconditionally and simply can’t live without them. As I’m fond of saying, “Every outfit looks better with a little dog hair on it!”
When I was about five years old, my parents let me pick out my first dog, a Boston Terrier named Bridget. She was a homeless dog from our community’s SPCA animal shelter. It was love at first site and I have been in love with dogs ever since.
Over the course of my life, all my dogs have been rescued dogs. Certainly all dogs are wonderful, but I have a very special place in my heart for the homeless dogs of the world.
Homeless dogs have a little something special about them. You can see it in their eyes when you first meet them. It starts with just a little bit of a twinkle. But as anyone who has ever rescued a dog knows, it’s that look that begs, “Are you the ONE?” Will you take me home?”
Oh those eyes!
When you respond with that smile, that hug, that “Yes! Yes! Yes!”, their eyes burst forth with unconditional love and gratitude for providing them with a forever home. A look that they give you every day of their life, until their life on this earth ends and they return home to be nurtured in the loving arms of St. Francis, patiently waiting until they will be reunited with you in heaven.
So if you ever have the chance to provide a loving forever home to a homeless dog, I hope you will. You will be so glad you did!
So in that vein, I wanted to share the adorable video from last summer which is at the top of this post. It’s of the “K-9 Kids” of Austin Dog Alliance filming Public Service Announcements to help find homes for dogs who were living at the Humane Society of Williamson County.
At about the 23 second mark of the video, you might have recognized a familiar face…it was my sweet son, Ben.
And for those of you who know Ben well, you know that he has inherited my gene for a passion for dogs! He loves them unconditionally and can’t live without them. His favorite saying is, “Every boy needs a dog…and a mom who will let him have one!” Good thing that God paired the two of us together.
Over the years, Ben has participated in many fantastic summer programs at Austin Dog Alliance and has also attended a number of dog training classes with our sweet dog Obi-Wan.
Ben and Obi-Wan
If you’re not familiar with Austin Dog Alliance, it’s a wonderful organization. They offer a myriad of services including all sorts of dog training classes covering both basic and pet therapy training, summer camps for kids and their dogs, (Yes, our dog Obi-Wan has gone to camp there, too!) and their world-class program “Special Dogs for Special Needs.”
Our own sweet “rescued” girl, “Obi-Wan”
So if you live in Austin or the surrounding area, be sure to check out Austin Dog Alliance. It’s a great place!
Well, I’m off to start my day…to hug my son and our dog but before I go, I want to share this with you. It’s an inspiring story about second chances for man and dog alike…
Ben using his Victor Reader Stream to listen to his 8th grade science textbook.
Greetings to my sweet friends,
I wanted to share with you that my son, Ben, recently wrote a lovely, heartfelt post on his blog about his experiences with dyslexia. I hope you’ll get a chance to read it, and if you know someone who has struggled with a learning difference, I hope you’ll share it with them too.
