Blessings

"Reflect upon your present blessings -- of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." –Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings

When I last wrote, I was headed for Nebraska to visit family and to take part in the celebration of my mom's 80th birthday. My sister and I, assisted by other family members and some of Mom's friends, hosted an open house and dance to honor Mom. My mother is a young 80 in mind, body, and spirit and I hope that I will be so blessed when I am her age. So, yes, it was indeed a blessing to make the trip to and from Nebraska safely; to see my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces after a long time apart; to visit with aunts, uncles, cousins, members of their families, high school classmates, and other friends from my hometown.

Mom came back to Illinois with me to spend 8 days with my family. We had our own birthday celebration for her and she got a taste of life with the Johansons (boring). I had dog grooming to catch up on, so I'm sure that was exciting for her to watch. LOL! She got to spend time with her two grandsons, her granddaughter-in-law, and her great granddaughter. We Skyped with my daughter who lives in Florida. We spent some time shopping. She went with me to a workshop I had to facilitate. We didn't do anything exciting, but both of us realized that we had never in recent memory spent so much time alone with each other. During her other visits to Illinois, she was always accompanied by my dad, a friend, my sister, or my niece. It was nice to be able to relax and chat and just appreciate being with each other.

Since Mom left, I've been fighting a devil of a cold, trying hard to get well before Saturday when I'll be leaving for MA and the Lhasa Apso National Specialty. A person who has been bragging for at least the last four years that she "never gets sick," I have learned that the common cold can make a person's life miserable in short order. I missed a lot of work last week, and my co-workers are still looking askance at me if I happen to cough. Cold remedies, Tylenol, cough drops, and boxes of Kleenex seem to be a basic part of my life nowadays.

But, thinking positive…back to the specialty. Rafe and Windy are going with me. She will be 6 months old on the 15th and will make her show debut that day at the local club's specialty show. I'm excited about showing both her and Rafe. I've written a huge, long list to remind myself of all the things that I have to pack and now am praying that there will be room in Marsha's van for everything that right now seems so essential for the trip.

I've found four Lhasa photos that I want to enter in the Specialty's photo contest. Three will be entered in the "Best Head Study" competition. The fourth will be entered in the "Most Humorous" competition. As I looked through my print and digital photo albums, as well as the many packets of dog photos we've collected through the years, I again realized how blessed I've been with beautiful Lhasas and beautiful friends I've made because of my involvement with showing and with the American Lhasa Apso Club.

I don't have much to report regarding the dogs. I have not been to any shows since Rafe finished in August so I am certainly looking forward to participating in the specialty week events in MA next week. Some of you may be interested to know that, if the breeding last week was successful, we will have puppies in early December.

I feel blessed to receive emails like those that have come in the past few weeks from puppy buyers giving me updates, sending photos, and thanking me for their Lhasas. The following note was indeed a blessing. It's from Laurie, who is writing about Zeus (whose name when he lived with us was Zach). Zeus went to live with Laurie and her family a year ago. She wrote:
"Joyce: It's hard to believe that a year has gone by since we adopted our Zeus. He fit in so easily into the family, it feels like we have had him forever. We want to let you know that he is happy and thriving. Here are some things we learned about him the last year: He is a very quiet dog. So quiet that people sometimes do not notice him right away. But once you get to know him, you see that he is always observing those around him. If he were a person, he is the person you would talk to to find out what really happened. He is a lover, not a fighter. He approaches people, dogs, squirrels, cats, etc. with a friendly wag. He will fight if he has to, but it is to defend someone or something he loves. There are three squirrels who I swear wait for him to come out for his second walk of the morning and then taunt him. They wait til he gets close and then run up 8 feet up the tree and chirp at him. He falls for the same trap every morning. He doesn't bark, he just sits wagging his tail and waiting for them to come down. He loves girls. It must be the registered name that does it to him! (Note from me: His registered name is Ch. Joyslyn MLS Dakota Playboy At Heart.) He is extremely loyal to his family. I am fortunate to have been chosen as his primary person, and he likes to follow me around to see what I am doing. He is even loyal to his little loveable, but bratty to him, companion Zora. Believe me, if he wanted to take out any frustration, he would have plenty of justification since she is constantly bossing him around. Everything I need to know about not letting little things bug me, I can learn by watching him. He still looks very GQ even with his "I run in grass, leaves, through the Zora guantlet, etc." hair. All male dogs inherently love trees and fire hydrants. We have both on our front lawn, and he quickly figured out what to do to them on his walks. A Zeus lick makes everything better. 20 Zeus licks and you can take on the world. Life is really much better with a Lhasa to love and to love you back… Thank you so much for allowing us to adopt him. He is a perfect fit."

Well, I teared up when I read that! People often ask me how I can let my adults go to new homes after raising them, showing them, loving them. It is not easy but the rewards have been great over the years. The dogs are well-loved and the people are so generous to share episodes of their Lhasas' lives with me. Blessings indeed.

Judy wrote recently about Izzy, the Lhasa she is training for agility. Izzy has a mind of her own, as do all Lhasas, and her debut in the agility ring was a flop. She got loose on the grassy field and decided "to heck with that jump, I'm going exploring." Izzy has been designated as a healing dog. Judy explains, "She is still my sweet doctor who checks every morning on the condition of the nerve. Mayo Clinic is also keeping notes on these 'healing dogs'. Also, the Veteran's Administration is working on a study on dogs who can tell when their masters might suffer a PTSD attack. No one can explain this to date, but I am sure someone will come up with the answer. Izzy's picture and info have been entered into the University of Chicago's notes." Izzy was about a year old when Judy bought her. Yes, it was hard to let her go, but whenever I get a note from Judy that talks about the way Izzy cares for her, I know that Izzy was born to be a blessing for Judy.

Those are just two of the notes I've received recently from people telling me about the Lhasas, puppies and adults, they've purchased from us. I treasure each note, update, and photo I receive. One elderly man whose Lhasa is now 13, sends me a Christmas card every year with a little note of appreciation in it. Another couple celebrate their Lhasa's birthday each year and send us an invitation to the big party (all presents donated to an animal shelter). Those are just a few. Blessings indeed.

I'll let you know about the specialty week next time I write! Wish us safe travel and luck in the ring!

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you. May you all have Lhasa blessings each day of your lives.

Joyce