May our friendship last forever

May our friendship last forever

by Nicholas Gordon

May our friendship last forever;

May I sail upon your sea.

May we go through life together;

May there always be a "we."

May I be your endless sky;

May you breathe my gentle air.

May you never wonder why

Each time you look for me, I'm there.

May we be for each a smile

Like the warm, life-giving sun;

Yet when we're in pain awhile,

May our suffering be one.

May we share our special days,

The happiness of one for two;

And if we must go separate ways,

Let my love remain with you.

Glass blown Ornaments

My friend, Chris, is an amazing glass blower and has personally blown hundreds of glass ornaments for Christmas gifts. Please check out his Etsy page. He's pretty amazing and they make GREAT Christmas presents.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62473212/glass-ornament

"It Is Good" by Kate Saunders

My dear friend, Kate Saunders, is an amazing poet and wrote this and I fell in love with it as soon as I heard it. Hope you all enjoy it too.

It Is Good

I know you’re here,

Your gentle hands

Always lifting, supporting, pushing,

As I, a simple particle dancing through the expanse

Begin my journey to become more,

To find my place in the very framework of life.

I hear your voice

In every collision of an electron and a positron,

Performing their chaotic choreography

To envelope a family of protons and neutrons.

They all spin with your voice,

Dance with your voice,

Crash and collide with your voice.

I feel you in it all;

Your presence directing and guiding

As we find our way,

Discover our purpose,

Become more and more solid,

More and more like matter,

Creating beauty,

Composing masterpieces,

Building life,

And you are there in every way

I hear you speaking your love

As we become what we will be

As we build only to crumble away

Compose only to decay,

As we divide and multiply

And constantly change position.

In every phase and cycle I hear your words:

You say, “It is good.”

Every time, every form, every generation

Of new matter, of new life,

“It is good.”

No matter whether I may be

The most inconsequential quark

Or a majestic molecule,

I hear you say of me,

“It is good.”

R.I.P Samson

Today, Samson Lewis has gone to rest with the Lord. For you who don't know who Samson is my families Boxer. My father bought him for my mother and I for Valentine's day almost 12 years ago.

Sam was one of the best dogs ever to romp on God's green earth. He was a gentle giant who loved his girls ( Natalie, Jasmine, Lily, Dahlia, and Mahala). He would let them ride on him when they were small enough and whatever way they tugged at him he'd follow. He would bark and protect his house from all that came against it; usually squires, skunks and deer.

As a Boxer, Sam was inclined towards deviousness. He loved to sneak into the bathrooms and raid the trash cans or to jump up on the counter to find newly made treats. Sam was sneaky but kind of stupid. He never learned how to cover his tracks. He was pretty honest with his doings.

I feel lucky to have had him this long. Earlier this year we had a couple scares where Sam had heart attacks and we thought he was dying. But that dog had determination. I mean, who would watch over the family, who would take care of the girls, who would chase the deer away, and who would eat all those extra tomatoes on the counter. Teddy, the little Shitzu, was too small and had bum legs. He was a good dog but mostly for warming ones lap.

Samson was a good old dog who lived a long and good life. He will be waiting for us all at the rainbow bridge with; Abby (boxer), Wanton (pug), Shotsie (keeshond), and Trinka Bear (keeshond).

The Rainbow Bridge

(inspired by Norse legend)

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,

Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,

Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;

Together again, both person and pet.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past,

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.