A Dog in the Gap?

I love this picture of Doug and Becky,
because when I think of them I just
DO NOT think of them hand-holding in
a rain storm. :)

I have been friends with Doug and Becky Jackson for a lot of years, over twenty years as a matter of fact. We met when Doug came to interview for a position as the Sr. Pastor at our church in Corpus Christi, and as I recall it, Becky and I were fast friends.  (Of course, I'm old and I could have my details completely wrong.  Maybe she just "grew" to love me. . . I'm like that . . . I grow on people.)

We have traversed many things together as friends, and I feel like I know a pretty good bit about these two people.  (I guess if you know someone for 20+ years, you SHOULD know a lot about them though). 

It’s funny, but of all the things I know about them, I would have NEVER pegged Doug Jackson as a dog person.  In fact, I might have said he had a bit of disdain for people who “needed” a dog in their life, so it’s funnier still that he now has a book called, "Dog in the Gap" (which is doing quite nicely on Amazon I might add!)

Doug and Landry with "Joey" as a puppy.

I remember when they got their dog, Joey, and Doug’s GRAND hesitation over the acquisition of said animal.  He felt certain that this pet purchase (which was to be a present for his son) would inevitably become his responsibility . . . a prediction that proved to be true, of course. (Any parent knows that’s how it goes.)

I also well remember the day that Becky called me to tell me that Doug was in a funk (to put it mildly) because Joey had died (several months earlier) and the apartments where they lived would not allow them to get another dog.

I love the look of mutual affection they each have!

Becky and Doug with Spurgeon

I won’t give away the whole story, but after Joey’s death (and their inability to have another pet) Doug began to volunteer at the local dog shelter, where he met Spurgeon, his SIZEABLE new friend, and where he began to formulate observations about man’s relationship with beast, and man’s relationship with God.

Doug and his co-author, Lisa Colon DeLay, each tell the story of their dogs, Spurgeon (a giant bullmastiff) and Luna (a beloved chocolate lab) beautifully weaving their stories of their pets into a deeper understanding of their relationship with the Creator of the universe.

What is most beautiful about 
Dog in the Gap is how it “probes questions about trust, mutuality, ownership, personal and spiritual growth, grief and joy through the acute lens of canine care-taking and guardianship.”

I believe Doug says it best in his introduction, “Man with dog,” writes C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves, “closes a gap in the universe.”  This book is written from inside the gap.

Written from inside the gap.  I love that.

All that to say, I can’t remember the last time I did a book review . . . but maybe I’ll do them more often.  In the meantime, go, read, enjoy.  And hey, do me a favor and leave them a review.  We authors really enjoy it when people tell us what they think of our writing. (wink)

How to Save a Life

Bea, Tony & Me in Hawaii
(You'd think I would look happier! HA!)

When Mike and I were first married (and for many years afterwards) he worked with a really great group of guys, the leader of which is a man named Tony Smith.  

There are a million great stories I could tell you about Tony (and his sweet wife, Bea) from those days, but today's story far outweighs any from our past.

4 years ago, Tony became suddenly and gravely ill. Were it not for the compassion of complete strangers, he would not be here today.  It really is that simple.  Here is his story in his own words.

"This journey started over 4 years ago, 3+ years trying to figure out what it was.  Finally I went to MD Anderson and they ruled out everything but Cirrhosis.  There was no cancer at that time. 

I have never been a drinker, no illegal drug use, no tattoos, no hepatitis, . . . they had to name it non-specific cause Cirrhosis.  I ended up at St Luke's.  They  told me in one year or about, it most likely would move from Cirrhosis to Carcinoma of the Liver.  One year to the month, it was diagnosed as cancer. I was accepted on the transplant program, and waiting began . . . going each quarter for bone scans,  blood work, and MRI's.   If the cancer had ever moved from the liver, I would have been out of the program and sent home to make final arrangements.

Thanks to the prayers of everyone I knew, and many I did not, and the love of Jesus Christ, it did not move, (the cancer), and the liver came in time."

Tony underwent an incredible liver transplant that required St. Luke's to use 12 units of blood, another gift of life given to him by the people who donated that blood. 13 strangers gave Tony life.  13 complete strangers.

I think sometimes we take for granted how simple it really is to help save someone's life. 

You can two very simple things.  

1.  Indicate that you will be an organ donor on your driver's license and make sure your family knows your wishes as well, and

2.  Give blood  

I asked Tony what we could do to help him, and he said that he would love to replace the blood that was given to him.  Well, we can't give 12 units of blood ourselves, but I told him I had an awful lot of friends (generous friends) that might want to give the gift of life to someone.  (Don't make me a liar people.)

If you would like to donate, you can go to the blood center at St. Luke's and donate in his name, Anthony G. Smith, 08/14/1952.  Maybe we'll run into you there!

All that to say, it's Give Friday. Would you please do me a very personal favor today and give blood in Tony's name?  And if you do, will you email me at thatcaroljones@gmail.com and let me know you did?

Update: I was asked if people could give blood at any St. Luke's.  I'm not sure, so just call them and ask before you go!  

It's Give Friday - He Gave

I had an interesting conversation this morning with a woman about salvation. (I'm talking the eternal kind here).

She's really been struggling with the notion, the theology, the belief that you can lose your salvation.

After a lengthy conversation I realized that she wasn't really trying to nail down the correct theology, she was trying to nail down a very deep seeded fear that she was going to lose her salvation.

She was struggling with a belief that she could do something that would be so heinous in the sight of God that He would say, "That's it. I'm done with you."

Finally, I keyed in to the fact that she was deeply, deeply afraid of losing God's love.

I asked her, "If this God that we worship gave up His ONLY son so that we could have salvation, do you believe that He would so casually withdraw it from you?"

She sighed a very deep, long exhale and said, "No, I don't believe He would."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know what you believe.  I know there are many faiths that believe you can lose your salvation.  I don't believe that, can't believe it, won't believe it.

I am so grateful for a God that loves me far beyond my ability to screw up.  I am grateful for a God who cherishes me enough to want to spend eternity with me, enough that He gave His one and only Son, that Whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

All that to say, it's Give Friday here at All That to Say.  It's Good Friday for those of us who are Christ Followers.  Good Friday.  The ultimate Give Friday.  So grateful.

Unable to Bury Their Dead

Someone I know very well had a tragic loss this week.  Their mother passed away.  She was the matriarch of her family, a woman who had known much loss but who embraced every moment of her journey, the moments of grand merriment, as well as the moments of great suffering.

Her death was a tragedy on so many levels; not just because her family lost their mother and grandmother, but because her death was preventable.  She acquired an infection that went undetected and ultimately she died of renal failure caused by severe dehydration.  There are many symptoms to this type of breakdown, but sadly, these are symptoms often overlooked in the elderly.

I cannot imagine hearing a doctor say those words.  "This death was preventable."  As if a family does not have enough grief for the moment, let's add that to their plate.

Grief and guilt.

And I wish that the story stopped there, but it doesn't.  Not uncommon, this sweet mother and grandmother did not have life insurance, and had made no plans, financially, for the end of her life.  Her family was suddenly faced with the realization that they would have to pay for her burial.  A low-income family, they found themselves without many options.

After meeting with funeral homes and hospital officials they learned this is what happens if you cannot come up with the money to pay for burial costs.  You can sign a release form with your county coroner's office that says you can't afford to bury the family member.  Once the release is signed, the coroner will pay for a cremation.  If the family can afford to pay for the ashes ($600) they can have them.  If not, the county will bury the ashes in a common grave alongside other unclaimed ashes.

Grief. Guilt. And now Shame.

When I said her death was a tragedy on so many levels, I meant it.  What is a family to do in a situation like this? Honestly, I hope I never have to know. I'd love to tell you this family rallied together and raised the money for a proper burial, but they didn't.  The burden of deciding whether to try to raise the money or release the body to the county fell to the shoulders of one daughter. I cannot imagine that pressure.

Grief, guilt, shame, pressure.

All that to say, this is a reality in lots and lots of people's lives.  (811,000 people annually in the US who can't bury their dead).  I think sometimes I live in a bubble.

Update: Per the comments below, you can email me at cjones3730@gmail.com for details on how you can help.

Meet Lauren and Prepare to Fall in Love

I am going to tell you such a sweet story right now that it is absolutely going to melt your heart. And if it doesn't, then it is quite possible that you have no heart and you should immediately check to see if you have a pulse.

 I want you to meet Lauren. She's 11 and in the 5th grade.
(Seriously, how cute is she?!)

For the last 6 months, she has been going to breakfast with her dad, Michael Lukaszewski, and writing a book called, "The Clown That Lost His Funny." It's a story of a bald clown that experiences a tragedy and loses his ability to be funny, causing him to have to work a boring job. 

She created an outline, interviewed real clowns, wrote a draft, had people give her feedback, and even worked with an illustrator.  I'm quite taken with this young writer, and I have never even met her.

When I read about Lauren's dedication to writing her first book, I thought to myself, "Look, if kids can get a million likes on Facebook and TV interviews on GMA and the Today show, just for writing a poster about a puppy, surely we oughta be able to help Lauren publish her book!"

So that's why I decided to blog about her.  Because she is PRESH!  And she's a writer.  And we writers have to be a community and help each other.  And also, I admire her tenacity.  She saved up money for almost a whole year to buy her own computer so she could write her book on it!  OMgosh, I want to squeeze her, she's so cute!

I also just love that every Saturday morning for 6 months, she and her dad went to breakfast together to work on this book.  Even if for some crazy reason she doesn't get her book published, (and by crazy reason,  I mean because you didn't run right over to this site and donate some money to help her start her project . . . seriously . . . do it . . . or check your pulse),  but if for some crazy reason she doesn't get published, it's still such a beautifully sweet thing that her daddy took the time with her to do this.  Those are memories that will last a lifetime.

And in case you haven't been convinced solely by the cuteness factor,  here is another picture of this adorable 11 year old girl, sitting at Cracker Barrel working with her daddy. (Look at that hot cocoa!  Look at the determination on her face.  Check your pulse.)

There's a lot more information for you on her Kickstarter page (she has a kickstarter page!  That just makes me want to squeeze her harder!  And she came up with some great rewards for those who help her realize her dream.)

And really, if all that isn't enough to convince you to go help this girl, you should also know that she has already planned other books in this series, including "The Dog Who Lost His Bark."

All that to say, won't you please join me in helping Lauren publish her book by participating in her Kickstarter?  And also, will you post this blog to your wall, tweet it, pin it, share it with friends by email, put it on the evening bark, whatever you can do to get the word out!  And I think it would be really nice if you'd drop her an email to encourage her.  Just to be safe though, let's send our emails to her dad here.  (or check your pulse!)

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