Stepping Through Different Doors

I was sitting at the computer a minute ago eating my egg-omelet sandwich, when it occurred to me that I'm actually in the middle of a huge transition in my life. I'm going through different doors than I have been going through - - and I'm OK with that.

I'm backing off some of, if not all of the speaking engagements with Faith. I'm giving the stage over to Laura and over to Caity. I'm letting them have the fun of doing the shows, and the fun of handling a mischievious dog that does things on center stage when you least expect it. She will invarably walk off when she decides to and it may or may not be at the right moment in the speech! She just makes up her dogged little mind and does what she wants to do - - and that can be both challenging and unexpectedly humorous too. I've found out EXACTLY how witty and clever I can be when it happens! Faith is the source of many new thoughts and actions when I've been before a live audience. The girls need to experience that for themselves.

Before Faith and I hit the road I was a professor of English as well as a full time employed High School English teacher. I worked a great deal, studied, graded papers, taught people how to write and how to comprehend what they were reading. It was a great profession for me; I hated to give it up, but I did because I felt a calling. I had a mission and now that that mission has been met I am giving the reins of whatever it is that I've created to the next generation to create and develop it into whatever it is that they believe is best for the future of the mission with Faith.

That being said, I am still writing the definitive book on Faith. I am writing a series of children's books, and possibly creating a 501(c)3 non-profit wherein I may develop workbooks, and do workshops with kids to teach them about acceptance of themselves as well as others with special needs. It's a door that was opened by the work I've created with Faith, one I will be proud to be a part of. I am also embarking (no pun intended) on a sales and marketing position with a great dog food company - - Precise Pet Foods. Faith eats Precise Pet Food. It only stands to reason that if I were to become involved with selling or marketing a dog food product it would be the one she enjoys. It's another door she has opened - - well, Jesus opened it, but He used Faith to nudge the hinges.

The past four years of being on the road with Faith have been rewarding. I can't imagine where I will begin when I start telling the stories in the final book - - it will be a wonderful journey through my heart, through love, through struggles and through grace. God has been so very wonderful to both of us - - but there is another set of doors opening right now for me and I do have to walk through them.

Keep your eyes open. Faith will not stop her mission; she's bound and determined to be the best U.S. Army Sgt Dog out there, to visit more soldiers, to kiss more kids, and to be the one dog everyone remembers forever and ever. I won't be too far behind the scenes watching - - afterall, my babies are out there in front now. I have to keep my momma eyes open for them.

To all who love Faith and her message: THANK YOU...she's not going away, she's really just making a change and change is good.

I Have a Few Children

Matt (Clark) is one of those kids of mine that I didn't know I had until after he was born, after he was raised, after he joined the Army and ended up my son's little brother. There's no changing it, it's just done. I have another son. This time I'm lucky to get a kid that has been potty-trained and he's been educated. That's good, because the sheer size of this one warrants that if I had actually had to feed him and Reuben at the same time I'm pretty sure I would have not been able to do it. I've seen them eat!

Matt and Reuben were in Iraq together albeit with different locations, different experiences, difference jobs - - they were thrown together by chance, but became brothers by choice. It was a no-brainer when Reuben got out that Matt would want to be with his brother. He's in the process now of getting released from duties, his time is up, he's ready to start all the crazy plans they've schemed up together over the past 3.5 years together - - plans like: taking a month long road trip and seeing America rather than the ice and snow of Alaska where they were stationed. Making plans to become co-mayors of a small town somewhere and just running the show - - everyone has to exercise, everyone has to work, everyone has to be squared away. That's one city I will try to avoid early in the morning.

Yesterday was the first time I got the chance to hug my 22 year old son. He calls me "Mom", but I know and am told that he has another one too - - a real one that really loves him and keeps a watchful eye as well. You can't ever really have too many moms I guess - - as long as Reuben understands he can't replace me, I'm good. The second he thinks he can I will have no other choice but to take out the other woman and show her what's what....does that sound possessive because I was thinking it did, just as it came out of my keyboard I thought...no, never mind. He's MINE, MINE!!! I'll share Matt.

This was Faith's first time to see her other boy too - - she and he had talked on the phone and had gotten to know each other through stories and through Reuben's mutual recommendations; but it was great to see them together and wow, she loves him. He was even out of uniform!! He must be family.

So, it's hats off, rifles down, and out of the Army for my other son - - remind me to tell you about Jonathan when we get the chance. He's even bigger than Matt! How do I do this? How do I find these guys? (Jon and Reu met in the 4th grade.)

WELCOME HOME SON!!!

Raising Everyone Else's Kids Sucks

I have my own three kids to worry about - - I don't really need (or want) to have to deal with the drama from others who decide to pull me into their lives either intentionally because they don't have parents who care or inadvertantly because they don't have parents who care. I will say this, the ones that have parents who care and simply don't use those parents get the QUICK version of my advice...usually it goes something like this "HEY, you have parents that care about you, grow up and go ask them to help you!" The longer, more detailed advice I find myself giving can be both borish and rude at times. I'm not the best backup plan out there. I tend to treat other people's kids the same why I treat my own, and that is to point out immediately that their drama-filled agony is getting on my last nerve and if they persist in forcing me into the mix I'm going to take over and it may not be pretty!

I sound like I'm ranting, but that's because I don't do blah-blah. I don't have compassion or empathy of any kind for kids who get all "Emo" and pout over their little make-believe would-be problems - - not when they can usually get over themselves and find a more productive way to spend their time. I don't do depression and I actually don't think most depression is real; that being said I do recognize that there is a real and seemingly increasingly growing problem with kids thinking they are depressed and acting as if they are depressed, which in turn manifests itself into reality through self-fulfilled and often self-induced crisis. I know, I sound all mean and nasty for not coddling the kids, but I don't. I never have and I won't allow myself to be coddled or patronized when I get sad or filled with negative feelings. I guess I was just raised to believe that if it's not a chemical off balance of the body and it's not physiologically founded - - you can get over it. EAT CHOCOLATE....work, get up and do something. For Gosh sakes - - EXERCISE, clean the house, or my favorite for students who just wouldn't stop pouting - - write a 5 page essay single-spaced without errors on what's making you so damn depressed! They were cured pretty fast; believe me.

OK OK OK, maybe there are some real situations out there - - but here's why I'm ranting. A kid called my daughter today, he got a hold of me. He called her from Pennsylvania saying he'd just taken twenty (20) 25mm of Benadryl and he wanted to know what was going to happen to him now. REALLY? Is this guy serious? Oh, I don't know kid, you're probably going to die! Call the poice NOW! That's what I wanted to say, but instead I went into Mother-mode and began the interview that no one should have to go into over the phone with a double-stranger. A double-stranger is someone you absolutely don't know, and they aren't someone you're ever going to meet unless something like this happens.

He was calling from a cell phone. I know this because I looked it up on Reverse Phone Look Up at www.whitepages.com while he was talking to me. I also Googled the effects and what he could expect so I could have something to tell him. I was trying to find out his physical location so I could send the police and maybe an ambulance to him. I didn't get that far. After telling him that he could experience dry-mouth, fixed dilated pupils, central nervous system shut-down, convulsions, and death, the kid hung up on me. I hope he was smart enough to use that time he had left to call for help. NOPE, he just wanted to call a few more of his friends. I know this because he got ONLINE (don't they always do that?) and had his little trip - ONLINE so that he could be the talk of the little social community he's involved in.

My daughter was able to call him back, and get his physical address from him. While she continued talking to him, showing him the attention I believe he wanted from her in the first place, I called the Malvern, PA police and filed a 9-1-1 emergency over the phone. I hope they find him and I hope they can get him some help. I have a few questions: Will the police find his parents in the livingroom when they get there? They probably will - - and you know what, they're not really to blame. This kid is 18, he's using his own room, his own computer, his own phone - - probably not even telling his parents the sites he goes to, and possibly even chiding them for asking if they do ask....another question I have is this: WHY is it important for everyone to YouTube their lives? I don't understand. I don't want to have that sort of access to someone's life and in this case his possible death.

Do me a favor - - if you have kids - - PISS THEM OFF and ask them who they talk to, who they hang with, what they talk about, what they do, where they go, what they think, and if they seem pouting, withdrawn or "depressed" get them up and working or exercising, do it with them if you have to. I don't ever want to have to worry about someone else's kid like that again. I just took 2 girls to the Academic Higher Education Center to take their G.E.D. because their parents didn't make sure they stayed in school and at 17 they read and write like 5th graders. Getting into college this fall will be hard, but it is necessary. High School is not the place for kids these days; not if the teachers are expected to be parents.

If you think this is ranting - - you're mistaken. This was the nicer version of Jude sounding off on people who don't parent their kids. Did I screw up - - yes I did! Over and over again, but the good news is my kids aren't going to be calling YOUR kids telling them they've overdosed and if they needed to read or write about it, they could. Sure one of mine has 8 tattoos and another has 6 (I think) but the last time I checked they were volunteering at the animal shelter, taking flyers around town warning people about a con-man in the area, and doing community service without being arrested - - Oh, and Laura took a couple of puppies back to a lady who was 8 months pregnant and couldn't get out to do it herself.

PLEASE...piss off your kids as much as you can!! Find out what they are doing!!

Reuben in Pads Again

Just over 5 years ago my son hung up his cleats. He was a senior in High School and December marked the last game of his "career" I guess you'd say. Too small at 6'2" and 220 pounds to play for the University of Oklahoma, my son chose to go to the Army and become an American soldier. He just has that gladiator spirit; both on and off the football field. Having completed his tours and returning from Iraq as well as his 3.5 year duty station of Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska - - he has now turned his camo in for pads again.

The Ardmore Extreme is a minor league professional team located in southern Oklahoma. Believe me when I say there is NO SHORTAGE of these smaller minor teams around the Texas and Oklahoma border - - as well as creeping into the heart of each state. Reuben's team plays 10 games a season, and has it's own version of playoffs and a championship game. Without 20 or 30 teams close enough to drive to there aren't more than a couple of divisions but lots of football to play, and lots of noise to make. The mud we share with Texas after the recent snow fall this week only gets the players that much more excited to practice tomorrow in full pads.

Breaking out his old high school (Freshmen) jersey that I think he actually gave to me for safe keeping, he's on Cloud 9 tonight. We drove more than 250 miles today looking for the right helmet, more than that last week picking up pads, cleats, socks, the mask for the helmet, and other "Extreme" essentials. The actual jerseys are being made now, the real helmets being painted, but that didn't stop Reuben from going out and getting his own set of back up pads, helmets and shoes. He's even got a visor! He's ready - - he wants to hit something.

I took these two pictures of him and I had to laugh. Five years ago he was pretty big and had the long hair, the big heart, the goofy grin that said "I'm playing football! I'm playing football" but today it's all cropped hair, tattoos and that new foo-man choo moustache peaking out from behind a $350 helmet for practice. PRACTICE...and he almost bought an even more expensive one. I don't think you need a radio helmet for a minor league and I really don't think you need one with a computer for practice - - just sayin'.

The thought did occur to me though that I could learn to hack into it and give another play just for the fun of it - - in practice. I wouldn't do that in a real game. I promise.

Reuben did have ONE thing go wrong today while looking for his new head piece. He had to get a large youth rather than a medium adult. When I think about it, it makes sense. Reuben really is more of a large kid anyway. He'll have so much fun tomorrow - - I think I'll pick up a bottle of bleach on my way home from the field.

Ft. Worth by Way of Chicago

Homestead Ballroom Gold - By Valspar Paint

It's not quite official yet, but when I saw the color of the newest prototype plush toy for Faith, and saw that it was too yellow, I had to do something. I explained to Norma, my good friend who is handling the production of the plush toy through Cher Marketing, that we really needed a more accurate match. That's when I got the idea to literally take Faith to the local Lowes store and have their expert paint person do the best he could matching a card or twenty up against Faith's backside.

As one might expect, the top of the dog is not the exact color as the bottom of the dog. For that matter Faith's saddle or back area is a completely different shade of golden brown than her underside. What was really funny is that her ears are actually a little darker than the rest of her, but when Norma's company presented the first prototype with darker ears I was so quick to nix the color difference. Wow, I guess I don't spend enough time staring at my dog! She's so normal in that aspect! The project assignment turned out to be quite the little adventure.

Laura and I simply walked Faith through the front doors of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Lowes just off I-35 and Exit 32 South. We found the nearest handy-dandy associate which happened to be Kelly. We explained the situation to Kelly, and he took it from there. Now, naturally you just can't ordinarily walk a dog through the front doors of a business like Lowes without permission, but Faith is a bona fide Therapy Dog so she gets a few special perks for being so. She was admired by dozens of patrons and of course recognized as well. Camera phones came out and she was "on" again; she felt at home.

Kelly introduced us to Rocky Black, the man behind the paint counter. I suppose it works out well for Mr. Black to be in paint! His name embodies EVERY color possible! He was tall, handsome, sweet, and young, and completely up for the assignment. He got RIGHT on the job AFTER he took a few pictures of Faith for his fiance PFC (U.S. Army) Rachelle Higgs of Lone Grove, OK. Rocky said she'd be thrilled to know he not only met Faith, a contemporary Army buddy, but also that he was the one who helped us find the RIGHT color to send off to Norma to get over to the stuffed toy company so they can do another prototype with the new adjusted colored fur. Not that having a very yellow Faith toy is bad; but it should be as accurate as possible, right? LOL

Faith did her best to stand still, but she was a little leery of what Rocky was trying to do. We started off with the more famous brands; Laura Ashley, Eddie Bauer, and even Olympic, but wound up choosing a color from the Valspar paint collection called "Homestead Ballroom Gold". For those of you interested in seeing it online you would be better served going to Lowes and asking to see it in person. The online version is too light and seems a bit matte to me. Nevertheless, here is the link that will take you to Valspar's sight and to the color itself. http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Match-of-Valspar-3003-7C-Homestead-Ballroom-Gold-p/mpc0098980.htm

Upon deciding which color best fit the mutt -- allowing for shading, and a bit of vanity touch ups from the aging white hairs coming through her admitted golden tone, we feel pretty good about the match. It isn't perfect, but Faith isn't all that perfect either actually - - just most of the time. I tried matching up my own skin tone too and found that I'm more of a fair to beige boring than anything else. I would love to find a darker freckle on my pale pasty skin and claim it as my overall shade; but alas I am dull. LOL

There you have it. I have e-mailed Norma and given her the go-ahead to send the Valspar's Homestead Ballroom Gold color numbers to the stuffed animal company who will remain anonymous for a little while longer - - believe me, we will shout it from the rooftops when it is the correct time to do so. Not only that, we're hoping to get a commercial out of Lowes now - - wouldn't that be fun? Maybe we can do it in connection with a charity drive and have fun with that. My mind is just going in all directions. By that time PFC Higgs will be married to Mr. Rocky Black and maybe we can get the two of them involved with the filming if the director allows it. Why not? We can dream - - and in color apparently.

The Whey It Is!

So, I have this task-master type for a son, right? I allowed him to move back in with me after he got out of the Army and since then he's been great to have around the house for the most part -- but I do actually remember the quieter, less abrasive household. It was nice - - it's gone now.

At least he lets me sleep in to 7:00 a.m. before demanding that I cook up a half dozen eggs and get his protein shake going. I wouldn't ordinarily do his bidding but I'm actually helping him eat the eggs and drink the shakes now. According to my personal Jedi I have to take in about 130 grams of protein each day to build muscle so that the muscle I'm now building can burn off the fat that's been hanging out in my gut for these past few (OK many) years. He's the expert on all things protein so I tend to listen to him. He's being kind and letting me off with an even 100 grams of protein, give or take since I'm also eating almonds, peanuts, and eggs during the day. His choice of protein shake is 100% Whey something something that he picked up at GNC. Me, being the Mom that I am, I am now doing internet research for cost effective comparisons and have found the same brand, the same size, the same exact product that HE bought at GNC for $64.99, at Amazon.com for $38.99 with .99 shipping. So, for $39.98 I'm getting the EXACT same thing he's getting for more. See, he's all about the protein, I'm all about the savings. He'll come around to my way of thinking next time - - what do you want to bet? LOL

We have cookies and creme, we have chocolate, vanilla, and now strawberry swirl. I put bananas and skim milk in mine in the morning, he pours in a couple of eggs and uses water - - but he's a monster and I'm just a monster's mom trying to lose 23 pounds and tone up. I think my son thinks he's Somalian - - he's not, but I think he thinks he should be - - he's almost got the war dance down to a T. (I should YouTube it) Protein makes muscle, muscle gets ripped and repaired constantly at the gym, and then breaks down and destroys all the fat inside of me.....YEA!! Can't wait. I have simple goals -- he's helping me meet them. One squinted-eyed, overbearing barked order at a time. God, I love my son. I'll actually miss him when I move to Chicago - - he won't come visit me. I don't know what it is about Reuben and large cities, but he doesn't do them. He was afraid they'd send him to Baghdad when he deployed to Iraq -- lucky for him they had him outside the rim of what could even be considered civilization - - his F.O.B. (Forward Operating Base) was one of the most remote camps in the country - - so far out it was closer to another country. He's not much into urban living.

He's threatened to fly into Chicago and have me pick him up and take him to a football game - - those types of crowds thrill him; it's the people on the streets, the big buildings, and rushing traffic that bother the kid. He'd rather be in the country driving a tractor over miles and miles of grain, or chasing his pig around the back 40. He complained the other day that he didn't actually have a "style" so he didn't fit in with the bigger city population. I looked at him; sized up his plaid torn shirt, loose jeans, old ball cap, scuffed up boots and beard and thought out loud "No Reu, you have "style" but they call that Red-Neck." For that I was given the approval of the smile - - the awe-shucks Mom look, and then it was RIGHT back to the lifting, the curls, the cardio, and the swimming. No rest for the weary - - or the fat!

Wednesday's Child

What is it with the Woe-factor? I think about it, and I believe it goes back to what we're told. I told someone I was born on a Wednesday, and according to a little poem I must somehow be full of woe. Therefore, I eventually became full of woe, or had my fair share of them. Is it real or is it conjured? I'm not sure, but it was there! The poem is a little tattered, but it goes like this: 

 “Monday's child is fair of face. Tuesday's child is full of grace. Wednesday's child is full of woe. Thursday's child has far to go. Friday's child works hard for a living, while Saturday's child does all the giving.  Sunday's child is blessed of these, this child sees the best in threes.” 

      So, according to the poem,  poor Caity Baby and I are doomed. Reuben gives everything away, and Laura gets all that she wants in triplicate!  How unfair would that be? Laughing right now.  I think the world is everyone's marble and if we choose to play, we will be both hurt and blessed. We will learn, we will dance, we will laugh, we will cry, we will participate in just about every event and we will be that much stronger because of it. If we choose not to play, we may feel or believe we are safer than most, but in reality, the man in the cave is the one that truly suffers.  

Plato's wrote a prose about people who refused to live; it’s titled “The Cave”.   The cave was straight forward - - read it sometime, but suffice it to say that people who have ventured out from their safety zone and have seen the unforgiving, harsh, and true illumination of life (the light) have a much more difficult time returning to the darkness or even the safety of a cave that holds no adventure. Full of woe? No. I'm going to choose to say full of experience. Full of life. Full of do-it. Full of being! This awakening is nothing short of miraculous if you have it in you to reflect both honestly and with a big enough light to see all the ugly cob-webbed corners of your life. Giving up anything, and any thing that is negative in order to break out of the pattern of a spinning downward spiral is not only necessary it is essential for upward movement - - growth.  

One of the things I decided, and yes, I do mean decided to do many years back is to choose to smile. Choose to be joyful. Choose to reroute my thinking. Choose to think before I ask, and choose to ask with more heart and more insight rather than just asking for the sake of asking. An example would be: a person you know who is really mad about something, puts their fist through a sheet drywall and comes to you bleeding. You don't have to ask "What did you do?".  You know they were somehow injured; a better question, a more productive question would be, "How can I help you?" followed by "You must be really upset about something to do something this drastic." The words, though hard to spit out in a moment of confusion for your friend, are the choice that you make to communicate positively rather than to criticize and add more negative input to the situation. 

 Think first. Thinking, giving thought, making an image in your mind really does set the wheels of creation into motion for your moment. You only have the moment. You are not guaranteed the next, and the last moment - - is gone. Plan, yes, by all means make plans, but do so with deliberate thought. Wednesdays can be really cool too you know; Caity was born on a Wednesday, and that was a super happy moment in my life. She came out utterly blue, with the cord wrapped around her neck, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as the frantic nurses were pushing, pumping, and prodding her to breathe after the cord was removed. I remember praying and I remember saying her name over and over in my head - - she would live, she would live, I repeated.  God was great, and my baby survived. Wednesdays don’t have stay bad even if they start out that way sometimes. BREATHE! Take the cord off your proverbial neck and push yourself until you can breathe! 

Positive isn’t always easy, but it is always a better choice than being sour-faced negative all the time.  Since I began openly ad willfully being positive, I can say I’ve made a few people both uncomfortable and pissy – not everyone wants to see a smile every time that look ove at you; but why not make it your choice, not theirs.  Be the light, be the change, be the energy you need to get yourself motivated and moving, and you’ll move and motivate others along the way. My little blue Smurf-baby grew up both independent and strong from the beginning. She’s passing those traits on to her own daughter Sailor Ellis Jayne, and let me tell you, there couldn’t be a more positive light shining in our lives than that little girl. Beam on!

Brody Needs a Home

LOOK AT HIM!! We named him Sir Henry Wallace Broderick, but we call him Brody. Brody came to our family about 3 months ago as a rescue from an irresponsible breeder. He's a full blooded Jack Russell Terrier, but we believe he may have been somewhat inbred. He does not respond or react as rambunctious as a typical JRT. He's so very kind, so very gentle, and rarely chews on anything! That's just not typical for a JRT, but it is GREAT news for anyone wanting to adopt him.

Brody came from a litter of 8 and was the biggest of the bunch. His sister Teagan (the yellow and white dog) is 8.5 pounds to Brody's 12. There were NO other dogs in the home or yard, so we have to assume he is from the same father and mother dog that were used over and over again to breed.

Brody was given to a young girl in this part of Oklahoma but she didn't get permission from her parents to keep him. She left him with me to foster and to find a good home. We've been feeding him Precise dog food and have gotten him 2 of the 3 shots he needs for rabies and parvo. He could also use a neutering. He's right at 6 months old now, and completely healthy and happy. He plays, runs, jumps, loves, and just steals your heart. He hasn't learned to go outside 100% yet, but he's working hard at it. He sleeps with you, and he is a definite lap dog. His coat is thick and the markings, as you can see, are amazing.

Brody has been raised with other dogs and cats. He has been roughed up by kids, and loves to play! He has never bitten or snarled, and he's staring at me right now because he knows I'm talking about him. He's pretty smart.

We have an interview process, and you would be responsible to come get him or pay for his journey to you if you were outside of Southern Oklahoma. We're willing to find him the best home possible, and hope that could be YOU. Please write to me at: jude.stringfellow@gmail.com or call my cell at 405 251-0210 if you're interested in giving Brody a forever home.

Jude