Tuesday, February 10, 2009

From Guest blogger: Andy Andrews...author of my favorite book-The Travelers Gift

There's something about Valentine's Day that brings out our softer side. Maybe it's the sweetness of the candy, the brilliance of the flowers, or just the overwhelming joy and appreciation that makes us stop to cherish the ones we love.In Mastering the Seven Decisions, Andy teaches us about The Joyful Decision and encourages us to "Live a Dog's Life" by telling us a story about his Dalmatian:"For fourteen years, we had a Dalmatian named Lucy. She was our 'dog-daughter' until we had 'real' children! Lucy was a part of the family and she was especially important to my wife. For years I watched how Polly treated her, and occasionally, it irritated me.


I told her one day 'You know, sometimes I think you treat that dog better than you treat me.' (She agreed) But I couldn't help noticing how Lucy behaved when Polly was around."When Polly came into the house after a morning out, I'd often be on the phone. Maybe I would've said, 'Hi,' or if it was an important call, I might even have rendered a 'Shh." If I was writing, we'd often say hello from across the room. "Lucy, on the other hand, reacted totally different when Polly entered the room. When Polly entered, Lucy would stand up and wag her tail, as if to say 'Hey, it's my mom! I love you!' She'd walk over to Polly and lick her face, 'Ooooh, ooh, kiss, kiss, kiss.' (She even did this if Polly had just been in the room five minutes before!) "One day, it occurred to me that maybe if I treated my wife as good as the dog treated my wife ... then maybe my wife would treat me as good as she treated the dog!"


How do you treat people who "enter the room"? This Valentine's Day, try greeting your spouse, significant other, friends or family the way a dog might. That love and joy is sure to lift their spirits and bring a smile to their face.
Valentine's day is four days away...you have time to prepare ;-)

1 comment:

Destiny Diamonds said...

Hey Camille and family,

I loved your articles and I loved spending time with Miss Jordan and Miss Joelle this weekend at Kiarris' b-day/sleepover party. They were funny and wonderful. The acting bug has bitten both of them. Everything you said is so true, especially about moms being blenders. What a perfect comparison.

I love you and your family dearly. God bless and keep the Superfamily 13!!!

Love,

Robin McKinney (and our Superfamily 7)