Showing posts with label Alone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alone. Show all posts

Monday, June 23, 2014

Love of animals





            When it comes to animals and love of animals, in my opinion, people are divided into two classes those who are able to experience a profound love for animals and those who can’t and therefore don’t understand the first group. My comments about this last chapter will probably be understood by the people who at least once in their lives have loved an animal, be it a horse, a cat, a dog or any other pet. The other group, those people who have yet to have a special relationship with an animal, will probably just think I am crazy¾but hopefully they will begin to understand those of us who deeply love animals. And maybe they will be more patient and understanding when they see someone who has lost a dear furry friend.

            Some people think animals are animals and they are not meant to be loved, just enjoyed or used for work. Some people believe animals lack the capacity to love and to feel the same emotions humans do. I am not a scientist, and I have not done thousands of hours worth of research about this topic, but I have had many pets, and I have spent long hours with them. Here are my observations.

            Animals have an immense capacity to love us, to forgive us, to understand us and to remain next to us no matter what. My relationships have been with dogs, but I know that the type of animal does not matter; thousands of people are able to enjoy the love of intelligent animals of different species all around the world. The Bible says that animals were made for our companionship and enjoyment, and this is what I believe. And because they are creatures created by God, we must take good care of them.

            In my opinion, being able to love and be kind to an animal is the first step to being able to love a human being. After all, animals are vulnerable, they never answer back, they do not have a concept of revenge, and they always forgive and forget. If we are not able to love such a creature, one that is always ready to love us and to receive our love, then how do we expect to be able to love a human when humans are much more complicated beings?

            The pain that comes from the death of a furry friend is real and deep. When we lose a pet, we need people who are important to us to understand us and give us their support and their love. So, next time someone you love loses a pet,  please remember Ellie, and understand that even if you don’t feel the same way about animals, there are some people who do, and they are in desperate need of your love and understanding.

             A pet can be a confidant to us, a best friend, a companion, our playmate, our pal. When I think of my dog and I try to describe him, I find it impossible. He is a very special creature that God put on this earth for me to take care of and enjoy and love. He is precious to me. When I am sad, he cheers me up; when I am scared, he makes me feel safe; and when I am lonely, he is my great companion. He has been by my side for a very long time, and he holds a very special place in my heart. It will be very hard for me on the day I have to let go of him, the day I am asked to say goodbye.

            Animals never judge us, not by our actions, by our looks, by our personality or by our economic situation. All animals want and care about is for us to love them. If you have not yet had the wonderful experience of owning and loving an animal, I advise you to give it a try. An animal will unlock feelings you never knew you had.  Watch  programs on animals and/or wild life, or read some books on this topic and learn about animal behaviour it will surprise you. Go ahead, because loving animals is a way to start loving our world, and caring for animals is a way to start caring for our environment. Take the first step, and don’t be afraid. The experience you go through  when you love an animal is worth the pain you will feel when you lose the animal.

            We are often too fast to see the dark side of the world. There is so much to love, so much to enjoy, so much to share. Embark upon the adventure that it is to love an animal, and you will see that there are many more sweet moments in life in store for you if you just open your heart to them.





Wisdom to contemplate:

“The LORD God said: ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.’ So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name.” (Genesis 2:18-19)



“Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.” (Romans 1:20)




Saturday, April 5, 2014

Cruel Kids - Have you been bullied?

Cruel Kids?

Have you been bullied?  Many kids have.  Kids can be cruel sometimes, bruising their peers in the most profound way, shattering their self-confidence, making them feel miserable, utterly disappointed and troubled. Isn’t it ironic, that it is only after growing up a bit that we start becoming aware of our looks? I don’t think many parents realize the importance of teaching their children to be kind. And I don’t think many parents realize how much a child can suffer in school. In some people’s opinion, children don’t have problems, only adults. But this is not true. Everything is proportional to the person experiencing it. For little children, a problem that can seem trivial to an adult can deeply hurt their feelings and leave them heartbroken.  

Not everybody is nice in the world, but that that does not mean everybody is mean. Not everybody is nice in the world, but that is no reason to join them. There will always be mean people, jealous people, angry people, bitter people and envious people in our lives. But there will always be good, kind, friendly, compassionate, caring people, too. So, we must open our eyes and search for the people who are worth our while, instead of getting disappointed thinking that people are all bad. By giving a chance to others, we are really giving a chance to ourselves.

It is important to make sure we do not become infected by bitterness or become mean ourselves. We must make an effort to always be excellent, no matter how hard things get. When someone says something to us, we have to know it is not a fact, but just a disputable opinion that person has about us. We should not let it bother us. An opinion is just a guess, a supposition, a generalization somebody makes about us. It is harmless unless we allow it to become important, since it will not be true unless we make it true.


  • Why give people or words an importance that they do not deserve?
  • Why do we insist on being offended by what other people say?
  • Who cares what someone else calls me if I know who I am for real? 
  • Why should it be such a tragedy to be called a name? Who cares? 
  • Why do we insist on giving so much importance to other people’s opinions of us? 

  
We cannot change certain people, but we can ignore them. We cannot change certain people, but we can always change ourselves. Let’s therefore focus on ourselves that we may be stronger and turn into better people, so that we can keep a good equilibrium in this world bringing to it goodness and love. Let’s make a point out of becoming more confident. To be sure of ourselves is one of the most valuable lessons we will ever learn, and it is never too late. Let’s make it our goal to find reasons to be happy instead of reasons to be offended. Let’s make it our life’s task to learn to be less mean. After all, after a while the mean people may get tired of being mean, and after a while being nice and kind becomes contagious.

We all have encountered at some point in time someone trying to hurt us. Let’s be more confident inside from now on, remembering that anything anybody says about us is just their opinion. 



Wisdom to contemplate:



“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)


Continue your kindness toward your friends, your just defense of the honest heart. Do not let the foot of the proud overtake me, nor the hand of the wicked disturb me.” (Psalm 36:11-12)





Monday, March 31, 2014

Hold on....help is on the way









I am aware people from all over the world are looking at this blog, and I feel blessed.   I want you to know - I already care for you!  Yes you....you in China....you in Israel....you in Poland.....you in Dominican Republic....you in the USA....you in Costa Rica....you in Canada and so many more.  We have one heart...


I want you to know, that I know there are moments in which you feel like you have no one.   No one who understands you, no one who can help you , no one who knows you in the depths of your heart.  I know that all too often you feel alone, regardless of how many people are around you.  Sometimes it is even worse when we have friends and family, but they seem not to get us! They seem not to know us, sometimes they seem to not even like us.


So yes, to you who have been visiting this blog I want to say....hold on help is on the way!  I will put summaries of my book here, for you to read for free.  Princess in Overalls will help you and inspire you.  The reason for the delay is that I left my files of Princess in Overalls at home and right now I am traveling.  It will take me a little time to get it all figured out.  I think I will be re-typing my book, just for you.


Yes you, you who still hope, you who need encouragement, you who are sad, you who are lonely, you who need advise, you who need a friend.  You who have been brought to Princess in Overalls.



I am here for you so remember:   hold on....help is on the way.














Sunday, March 23, 2014

Time to say goodbye - Isn't it Time to Say Goodbye to Jealousy?



 Isn't it Time to Say Goodbye to Jealousy?


Mother Teresa used to say that to be kind means giving much more than material things.   Do you agree?  I do.  For example, it can mean giving a smile, offering an encouraging word and sharing someone else’s joy. But don't you think that in order to share in someone else’s happiness first  we need to get rid of the jealousy that sometimes arises in our hearts?

            When we are jealous, we are unable to feel happy for others, and many times, instead of giving a compliment or praise, we sometimes end up spoiling another person’s happy moment by doing or saying something mean. Jealousy is like a disease that sometimes creeps inside us without us realizing it. 

How do we know for sure if what we feel is jealousy? Do a self-check! If we have a feeling of sadness, even if it is slight or deep inside, at the sight of another person’s material or personal achievement, then we have been bitten by the jealousy bug!

  1. Am I bitter about someone else’s good fortune or success?
  2. Do I always try to keep up with my neighbour? 
  3. Do I criticize others so that they will lose confidence in themselves and so that I will look better? 
  4. Do I keep comparing myself to others? 
  5. Am I always looking for praise from others, and if someone else receives praise, does it bother me? Am I slow to thank, to encourage or to praise? 
  6. Am I able to feel genuine happiness when someone else gets something I wanted?
Where does jealousy come from? It often comes from pride we think we are better than others and that we deserve more than they do. Other times, it is the result of our insecurity we desire to have what is not ours, and we unjustly want what rightly belongs to another.


How do we stay away from this dangerous virus? For starters, we must be honest with ourselves. We need to be constantly checking if there is even the slightest trace of jealousy inside our hearts when others are: more fortunate, richer, thinner, more successful, more beautiful, more loved, more popular, healthier or happier than we are. 

  • For us to be happy about our own lives, we do not need to prove that other people’s lives are miserable. 
  • For us to have faith in our own path, we do not need to prove someone else’s path is wrong. 
  • For us to be secure, we do not need to make someone else insecure. 


           An old proverb says that happiness shared doubles.  Let’s seek to always share one another’s joy, because this will make us better people. It will strengthen and encourage us. And it will help us feel happy no matter what. If we rejoice in other people’s progress, we will immediately feel uplifted ourselves. If we let other people’s successes be our successes, others’ blessings will be our blessings, others’ joy our joy. So, be happy for your coworker’s promotion, your colleague’s new car, your old school friend’s good-looking spouse, your friend’s growing business, your cousin’s scholarship! A person who is able to feel happy for others is able to be happy most of the time.



Wisdom to contemplate:


“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:15-16)






Saturday, March 15, 2014

Is the feeling of being "alone" or "sad" hunting you? Hold on...


There is something to look forward to, encouragement right around the corner.  Maybe all you need is a little hope found in the form of inspiration. 

Read this Foreword for the book Princess in Overalls! 

Help is on the way.


"It is rare to find a book that combines the refreshing vision of children and the rich wisdom that comes from experience with life. Princess in Overalls  combines both.  On the one hand, we meet Elllie, the “princess” as she grows from child to mature adult.  On the other hand, we meet Carolina Prada, the author, who captures profound lessons from the events in Ellie’s life.  We also meet important figures in Ellie’s life, her parents Reuben and Anna, and those who entered her life as the years went by.  

Ellie receives many lessons from her parents, lessons structured to her age and experience.  These lessons form, as it were, the basic truths about life that a child and adolescent need to learn.  Carolina then uses these lessons to examine issues importantfor everyone of whatever age.  Most importantly, she presents these lessons from a Christian point of view.  Then, in each case, she quotes passages from Scripture to support and to enrich what she has to say.



What does Ellie need to learn as she grows up?  So many things!  What is fear and how should we conquer it?  How do we relate to others our own age?  How do we relate to those older than we?  How do we react when we encounter people who are unkind and mean?  What dreams shall we form for our future?  How do we know what our role in life is going to be?  What do we do in the face of disappointment?  How do we foster relationships?  How do we face the end of relationships?  How can we recognize that someone is the person we would like to marry?  How do we forgive injuries done to us?

Ellie receives answers to these questions and more.  Carolina moves us beyond a child’s perspective for these questions.  She takes us to a deep level and helps us to see what path will bring us the peace and joy that God wishes us to experience during our lives.  She shows us how close God is to us at each moment and how God loves us.  She also shows how he longs to help us and how he guides us along our way.  We human beings live in a divine milieu:  God is with us.

This book might be called one of “self-help.”  But a much better description would be:  one of divine help.  Carolina shows us that it is by the free gift of grace given to us in Jesus Christ that we can move beyond the self and act in a truly Christian way.  She guides us to see that Christian courage requires us to be kind, gentle, tenderhearted, and compassionate.  She shows that the highest of the Christian values, love, is something far greater and far more challenging than any feeling.  Love is a choice made again and again, both when it is easy to love and when it is hard to love.  Love constantly offers a challenge to rise above the purely natural, to rise above our instinctive reactions, and to make our response one of kindness and mercy.  Carolina shows that to be a Christian is to be someone of courage and valor, someone who insists on the highest level of human behavior, and someone who can envision dreams that become a reality.

This book is a treasure of wisdom for both young and old.  In it readers will find many echoes of events in their own lives.  They will receive guidance on how to prove worthy of the name of Christian.  And they will learn, in their treatment of others, to show the compassionate and loving 
face of Jesus Christ."




Dr. Shirley Sullivan, FRSC
Professor Emeritus of Classics
University of British Columbia


You can buy the book "Princess in Overalls"  by going to Amazon  and typing the name of the book plus the name of the author : Carolina Prada