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This is a neat story. You will know precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end (and you’ll want to share this one with your loved ones and special friends)!
‘Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We’ve been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this,’ the mother told the volunteer.
‘What is it she keeps asking for?’ the volunteer asked.
‘Puppy size!’ replied the mother.
‘Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that’s what she’s looking for.’
‘I know… we have seen most of them, ‘ the mom said in frustration…
Just then Danielle came walking into the office
‘Well, did you find one?’ asked her mom. ‘No, not this time,’ Danielle said with sadness in her voice. ‘Can we come back on the weekend?’
The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed
Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll find one this weekend,’ she said.
Over the next few days both Mom and Dad had long conversations with her.
They both felt she was being too particular. ‘It’s this weekend or we’re not looking any more,’ Dad finally said in frustration.
‘We don’t want to hear anything more about puppy size, either,’ Mom added.
Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs.
Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren’t permitted.
Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one.
One by one she said, ‘Sorry, but you’re not the one.’
It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup.
The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.
‘Mom, that’s it! I found the right puppy! He’s the one! I know it!’ She screamed with joy. ‘It’s the puppy size!’
‘But it’s the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks,’ Mom said.
‘No – – not SIZE… The SIGHS. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,’ she said.
‘Don’t you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!’
The two looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.
‘Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,’ she said.
Then, holding the puppy up close to her face, she said, ‘Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!’
Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day.
They are the sighs of God. Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear. ‘Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.’
I hope your life is filled with Sighs!!!
Ok, so what’s that got to do with us here in the States? A lot, actually. While we’ve still got a lot further to go to remove stigma, the article I just read about Perinatal Depression & Anxiety in Singapore stunned me.
Of those screened, 600 had registered a high positive and 450 a low positive for perinatal depression. However, only 100 of the 1,050 women agreed to see a case manager for counselling or further advice. Of this 100, 30 sought psychiatric help.
Wow.
That’s 2.8% of positively screened patients actually seeking and receiving treatment. And that’s an improvment?
The story broke over the weekend – Michael Phelps used marijuana. A photo of him using a bong led to his admission of pot use. It will damage his career, his endorsements, his reputation. It has probably hurt those around him and affected their ability to trust anything he says or does. How do I know that other than the fact that every single news article states these facts?
I know this because I am married to a recovering marijuana addict. My husband has worked very hard at his sobriety over the past 10 months. Along the way we have had pitfalls and are just now realizing how much damage his addiction has done to our marriage and to his habits. He’s got nearly 23 years of addiction related habit developments to undo. I am proud of how far he has come and how much he has done to prove his dedication to our family and our marriage.
My heart goes out to Michael’s family, to Michael, to his friends. I can only hope that this will serve as his wake-up call and allow him to leave the pot use behind. I know this is a hard thing to do and I will be praying that God is using this as an opportunity to work with him. I wish Michael all the best as he deals with his addiction.
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Ghandi