Week 2 -- "B" Forgiving

B would like to start this week's Dogvotional off by sending out a little "shout out" to her grandparents: "Hi there Mama Hart, Papa Hart, Nana and Bo -- I want to apologize for any of my shedded hair I left on your furniture while I visited. It was completely unintentional. Will you forgive me?"

And with that, we start Week 2 of our Dogvotionals with a little topic B would like to call "forgiveness." B says forgiveness is a fickle thing: everybody wants it, but not everyone will give it. And we all know that being the one who gives is better than being the one who receives.

B would now like to tell a story in hopes of teaching a lesson to her readers: Once upon a time, B owned a pink, polka-dot dog bed. (True story -- I was there) And in this pink, polka-dot dog bed B loved to lounge for hours on end and dream about her beauty. One day, B's Momma (Moi..)and Papa brought home her new little brother, who B thought was a monster. The Monster (as we'll call B's little brother hence forth) also loved Princess B's pink, polka-dot dog bed, and he would constantly try and steal it from her. So, B decided that she was going to play a nasty trick on The Monster. See, not only did The Monster love B's pink, polka-dot dog bed, but he also loved his Momma and Papa, too, and was a glutton for attention. One afternoon, B saw The Monster laying in HER pink, polka-dot dog bed and could not believe her little doggie eyes. "The time is right," she mischievously thought, "to play a trick on The Monster." So, Princess B ran over to her Momma (Moi..) and plunged into her lap where she began to nudge her Momma's hand so that she would be petted. All of this attention B was getting from Momma made The Monster green with envy. So, he did as B had planned, and left the pink, polka-dot dog bed and ran over to them. "Ha ha!" B thought as she leaped off her Momma's lap and dove into the pink, polka-dot dog bed, "mine at last!" The Monster looked over to B with sad, dopey puppy eyes; he realized he had been tricked. But, instead of charging over to B and the precious dog-bed in order to start a dog-on-dog fight, he simply slinked over (because he very much looked like a slinky) and licked her face. He had already forgiven her for conniving against him, and little doggie tears of sorrow and regret began to fall from Princess B's eyes. She got up from the pink, polka-dot dog bed for the last time, and went to lay on the floor. The End.

B hopes you all caught the moral to the story -- that forgiveness is essential to change. If we only all forgive those that have hurt us, then maybe we would B able to see a change in their lives or our own. If we forgive, we let go of the pain that clouds our souls and allow clear light to shine through, such as Austen (The Monster) did whenever he forgave B. Not only did Austen change his perspective towards the situation and allow B to enjoy her time in the dog bed, but B changed as well. She realized that she was wrong and, in the end, wanted to do the right thing.

B says that's the most important thing about forgiveness -- that it's the right thing to do so that you can move on with your life. "Think towards the future with forgiveness, not towards the past with grudges," B says.

B would like to thank her little brother, Austen "The Monster" Terrell, for teaching her the beauty of forgiveness. She would also like to note that Momma threw away the pink, polka-dot dog bed because no one would lounge in it anymore.

We close this week by asking all of our readers to raise their right hand, or right paw, and state the following: This week, I will forgive at least one person, or pet, who has wronged me. I want to lift the weight of my grudges off of my shoulders and step forward into my new future of being forgiving. I want to "B" like B, and "B" forgiving!

B hopes to see you next Thursday where Week 3 will continue with a new Dogvotional.

Until then --
B: The Dogvotionalist

Week 1 - "B" Kind

Greetings all --

I start off this adventure by giving you a short preface to this "dog-votional." I (Alison) will be transcribing all of B's thoughts, because, as you may have noticed, B cannot type. Nor can B talk, so I will try my best to accurately paint her true ideas. Note that I will only be using body language to work with, so please allow for error. On a side note: Please, B, forgive me if I misrepresent you in anyway.

These proceedings are in their entirety devoted to my mother, and B's "Grandmère," for her inspiration.

Okay, let's get this rolling.

Week 1 of B's Dogvotionals: "B" Kind

B would like to begin her series of Dogvotionals with an emphasis on kindness. She believes the key to all the world's problems lies in the availability of true kindness. If only we are kind to one another, then most of our problems with one another would cease to exist. "Choose to be kind, and leave animosity behind" (a direct quote from B). Start off your day by promising yourself to say at least one nice thing to a stranger. Compliment their outfit, cologne, hair, etc. B believes that if more people were complimented by complete strangers that the use of psychiatry would plummet and world-wide happiness would arise. B especially likes when strangers compliment her collar color. She works very hard to decide on which collar to wear, and is thankful for those who take the time to notice her collar selection. (Today she is wearing an eggplant colored velvet collar with matching diamond name tag -- very chic!)

Also, B would like to emphasize the importance of self-kindness. B believes that not only complimenting another person, but complimenting yourself is vital to overall happiness, because a peaceful world comes from happy people. B likes to begin each day by complimenting herself. She gazes into the mirror and chooses one thing she likes about herself. Today, she loves the whiteness of her teeth. Most celebrities pay thousands of dollars to have teeth as white as hers, and all she has to do is chew on a few bones periodically. B feels good about herself today, and so should you!

B would like to conclude this dogvotional by asking all readers to please raise their right hand, or paw, and vow to be kind this week by saying: I, (state your name), vow to be kind this week in order to promote world happiness and peace. I believe in the power of B's weekly dogvotionals and will promote kindness through my actions and words. "B" kind to yourself and one another!

B thanks you all for reading her weekly dogvotional and hopes to see you again next week.

Until then, "B" kind!

P.S. B would like to mention that one of the winning lottery numbers for this week's lotto is: 8. "Good luck!" - B.