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Goodbye Buddy

By Frank J Casella

In case you have not heard, Buddy, the Golden-Lab, passed away on February 13th. I would like to share with you a few highlights of his life, and some pictures, as a way to provide (for me) some closure. And you can find a link to pictures below.

Buddy was born in the Fall of 2006, and came to my family in 2007. Our children pooled their money from birthday 's and holiday 's to get him.

Although, there were a few dogs from the shelter before Buddy, they went right back because they ended up not being a good fit for our home. Our good friend, Tracy, who is a dog behaviorist helped us sort things out. Then Grandpa located Buddy, as he is a huge dog lover. So Buddy is a rescue dog, and we named him Buddy because my son always wanted a dog named Buddy .. and boy was he ever!

What we learned as we started to socialize Buddy, is that he had aggression towards women. We agreed that Buddy was suppose to be our dog, so Tracy helped us all to get on the same page and help Buddy to be a ' dog ' again ... and that took a little over a year (and boy did that training help out when we got Strudel, the King Shepherd Dog, as she was a dominant breed).

One highlight from all the training our friend Sherry, who works with American Kennel Club. showed us how to certify Buddy as a Canine Good Citizen Dog. After a few try's, which is normal, Buddy finally was certified. The kids in the neighborhood, who are now all grown up, loved and where always happy to see Buddy very much. And when I would take him to the library and wait outside while another family member was inside, the kids going in and out of the building would stop and love on Buddy. ... he loved every minute of it too .. he no longer lunged at the mom's in aggression .. you could tell he loved being a dog again.

Buddy loved to stay outside all of the time, bathe in the sun, and play with his ball. He also loved to go for long walks and run. The first few years with us, we took him to the dog park. He always loved to run laps on the track, several rounds, and when he got tired ran for the big mud puddle (until Tracy showed us how to keep him out of the mud!).

When we took him for walks at the Wetlands Preserve, Buddy could not stay out of the water. Buddy also loved to play basketball with the children, and often would wait under the basket for the ball to come through the net and bop him in the nose. He was also a good blocker and gave everyone from the neighborhood who played with us a hard time getting to the basket ... he wanted the ball.

Buddy also had a number of health setbacks, like a ruptured ligament in his back leg (a basketball injury), one eye got damaged at the dog park, he also was attacked a few times - once by three Pitt Bull Dogs at the same time. The last few years we thought a few times that Buddy was going to leave us, but he would bounce back and prove us wrong. Our friend Dr. Christie was the best Vet for Buddy, she took the best care of him and helped us do the same in many ways ... especially after Buddy was attacked.

Buddy and I spent a lot of time together, as I have a home office, so he would let me know when he needed to go out, when it is time to go for a walk, and when it's time for food .. .and the time change didn't matter, he was always on the clock. The past couple years Buddy could not get up off the floor, so we had to help lift his back legs .. but once on his paws he was ready to go.

Now that we are dog-less, I'm reminded of one thing 'Boiler Mike', who is the guy who installed our boiler and a/c system said, and that is " a house is not a home without a dog on the floor ". Over the years I have often thought how ' DOG ' spelled in reverse is ' GOD ' and that is no coincidence ... for dogs show us much about unconditional love.

You can find pictures of Buddy here, and I hope they make you smile.

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Photo: Dogs and the Sesons of Life - Color Photo Copyright 2019 Frank J Casella


A Golden Retriever Dog celebrates the colorful leaves of the Autumn season.


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Rooftop Winter Sunset - Impressionism - Color Photograph Copyright 2021 Frank J Casella - frankjcasella.pixels.com

I was up on the roof of my house during a major snow storm, and found this beautiful moment in time of the sunset through the trees ... it reminded me of an impressionism painting, so I gave it that effect. Enjoy!

Somtimes, when we change our perspecive, in the storms of life, we can find the true beauty of hope and the love of God in our lives, and in this world. This is why it is important to always make time for pause, and to notice the signs and wonders around us through people, places and things.


Thanks for reading, have an enjoyable day.
Frank



Photo: Rooftop Winter Sunset - Impressionism - Copyright 2021 Frank J Casella.

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Frozen Bench by Frank J Casella

A winter blizzard leaves a bench frozen and covered with snow of a hometown in the American Midwest - Copyright 2014 Frank J Casella - frankjcasella.pixels.com

We recently had a rather snowy blizzard here in Chicagoland, and the weather forecasters mentioned how we have not seen anything like this in about six years. So I went into my archives from 2014 and found this gem of a documentary image. It could just as well been made these past few days.

I always try to find a moment in time that is ralatable to the masses, yet unique enough to creat three - second - impact when you view it. Like for use on the wall in waiting rooms or on a greeting card, for example, that takes you out of your present moment in life to study what is going on in this scene.

I remember when I made this picture. how I took a walk with the iPad Mini camera, in search to find a documentary moment of the deep snow blizzard, yet keep in tune with my distictive message of hope and God's love in the world. Whenever I go on a photo walk, I pray for the Holy Spirit to point my lens to what the world should see. So, short of the long, I recall walking across the street and then turning to see this moment in front of me.

This says a lot more than, say, deep snow on top of a car, or the gutters of snow shoveled from sidwalks, or even low hanging snow covered tree branches. The message here is that, although you might like to see a person sitting on the bench with shorts in the summer sun, despite the chill of the deep snow, if you take a step back there is a beauty from God's paint brush.

Throughout the seasons of life, it is important to see the beauty in every moment and to make the time to look for it, because then God can inspire you to seek the beauty where he is at work in your own life.

Thanks for reading, have an enjoyable day.
Frank



Photo: Frozen Bench - Copyright 2014 Frank J Casella.

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Works of Mercy by Frank J Casella

When I look at this picture, the reddish Fall leaves in the trees with snowy branches, I can not help but think about the mercy of God. How most trees lose their leaves by the time it snows, these trees (which I think are classic Burr Oak) seem to keep their leaves. How many times do we hold on to, or carry, things in our lives that only mercy can provide an answer or closure?

You may see mercy in a different way with this picture, but, what this all brings me to think about is the Catholic Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise. The Spiritual Works of Mercy have long been a part of the Christian tradition, appearing in the works of theologians and spiritual writers throughout history.


The corporal Works of Mercy are:

To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To harbour the harbourless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.


The spiritual works of mercy are:

To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offences willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead.


Most of all, this takes Prayer in Times of Seeking God's Will.


Thanks for reading, have an enjoyable day.
Frank



Photo: Red in the Wooded Winter - Copyright 2021 Frank J Casella.

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.... is that it means "a conversation or exchange between two or more people,"

Dialogue is important so that we can function as a society, and to foster personal growth.

To learn the viewpoints of others, so that we can then create our own viewpoints on life.

With today's use of technology, specifically smartphones, it can be easy to put off being in-person.

However, it is the personal interaction of all the human senses that gives dialogue its power and effectiveness.


Thanks for reading, have an enjoyable day.
Frank



Photo: The Interesting Thing About Dialog - Copyright 2017 Frank J Casella.

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This beautiful moment in time came and went in less than twenty minutes, yet it is one of those moments that you steal some time to notice God's creation, that He is still in control.

The thought that came to mind, though, before I clicked the camera shutter, was how without this sky the trees are back to the 'reality' of everyday. That you have to look through these trees to see the full picture of colors and cloud formations.

The same thing happens in everyday life, that if we don't keep our focus on what is important, we can become distracted by the 'eye candy' in front of us. That it is okay to appreciate the beauty of life to reminds, those of us who believe, that it is not all about us but through His love.


As a side note: I have become very disappointed in recent months with the lawmakers in our nation's Capitol here in the USA. It seems they have not been keeping their focus, and making discussions in haste or based on emotion of the moment, instead of using wisdom and good judgement with the people they serve in mind. There will always be polotics, but I think it is influencing too much of what they are doing as of late. This photograph illustrates then, I think, seeing the true beauty through the trees, or keeping your focus through the struggles.

In any event, I hope whatever this moment in time brings to mind for you, that you find it meaningful even if it is a quick as it came and went, and from my camera to you.

Thanks for reading. Have an enjoyable weekend.
Frank
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Photo: Winter Sunrise Through Silhouetted Pines - Copyright 2021 Frank J Casella.

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Let There Be Peace on Earth - Color Photograph of Trees Slihouetted by the Sunrise and Blue Sky - Copyright 2017 Frank J Casella.

This war torn world needs healing.

More personal, under our own roof we all need healing of some kind.

I have found that when we look to the Lord for our own healing, somehow it affects the healing of others.

You can't make people change, they can only change themselves, they have to want to change.

A simple prayer:

Come and save us, LORD our God;

Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/80:4


Let there be peace on earth. Let it begin with me.



Thanks for reading. Have an enjoyable weekend.
Frank
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Photo: Let There Be Peace on Earth - Copyright 2017 Frank J Casella.

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Things Happen for a Reason - by Frank J Casella


I saw this on MeWe and resonate with it:

" I would like to cancel my subscription to 2021.

I have experienced the 10-day trial so far and I am not interested. "


I believe that in the storms of life there really is a silver lining. The key is, to find it you have to go through the storm, and not around it.

That when life doesn't go as expected, we have to look outside ourselves for what is meant to be.

We are here not to have things nor to do things, we are here to perform the best version of ourselves.



" I worry about the things I can affect, and the things I have no control over I move by. "

-- Lenny Wilkens, NBA Head Coach


" You fail all the time, but you are not a failure until you start blaming someone else. "

-- Burn Philips, NFL Head Coach



Thanks for reading. Have an enjoyable weekend.
Frank
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Photo: Storm Above the Pine - Silver - Copyright 2020 Frank J Casella.

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Frank J Casella




Photo: Rustic Autumn - Painterly - Copyright 2020 Frank J Casella.

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Thank you for visiting the blog for Frank J Casella Photographs. Pictures of moments in time, and human interaction, that share hope and God's love in the world.

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