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Angel Animals Story of the Week, 9-3-06, "Simple Pleasures"
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Allen Anderson
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Sep 04, 2006 01:57 PDT
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Angel Animals Story of the Week
September 3, 2006
Visit us at www.angelanimals.net
Dear Friends of Angel Animals,
Welcome to the Angel Animals Story of the Week.
Each of our pets has taken on responsibilities that we would never have
thought to assign to them.
Cuddles, our black-and-white cat, has decided it's her job to keep Allen
from waking Linda in the morning if he gets out of bed before she does.
Cuddles sits at the end of the bed like a sentinel to make sure Allen
doesn't bump the mattress accidentally. She swipes at him with her
white-tipped paw if he gets too near. When Linda does wake up, Cuddles
hovers over her pillow, gazing lovingly like the guardian angel she was
meant to be.
Do the animals in your house have jobs to do?
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We want to keep the focus of this newsletter on the uplifting and
inspiring stories of animals in daily life. So this week we will be
sending you a "Special Edition" of the Angel Animals Story of the Week.
It is a one-time event to offer more information about our new book,
RESCUED: Saving Animals from Disaster.
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The featured story this week is from Tony McVay who shares how to put
yourself in position to experience animals in new ways.
We invite you to e-mail this week's newsletter in its entirety to others
who might enjoy it.
Animal blessings,
Allen & Linda Anderson
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STORY OF THE WEEK
SIMPLE PLEASURES
By Tony McVay
I recently slowed down my usually rushed summer routine by watching one
of nature's most hurried creatures, the hummingbird. I installed a
three-dollar feeder above our picnic table. Not many hours passed before
I was delighted to see tiny hummingbird visitors filling their soft
bellies. I quietly wondered if hummingbirds live on pure sugar, as some
children I know do, with similar results in their movements -- frantic
and jerky.
I observed these buzzing bubbles of sweetness from only a few feet away.
They smoothly shifted from forward to reverse, up and down, as if born
for the peaceful waves of the ocean rather than the sporadic winds.
Inspired, I installed another feeder to facilitate a circus act of
little birds. I was rewarded with four more hummingbirds darting,
jousting, and whirling as they jockeyed for position at the newest
fountain of free nectar. My son named one of the little fellows Beaker
after the Muppet character because of his constant chirps and squeaks.
Apparently the noise is an effort to prove he's the baddest bird on the
block.
I found myself daydreaming about plans for our expanding garden. I
visualized a Hummingbird Haven with dozens of feeders and me sitting in
the center of it all, reading their body language and squeaks like Dr.
Doolittle.
The simplest dance performed by one of nature's smallest birds gives me
an abundance of peace from my own world outside the garden. And all for
the tiny cost of a three-dollar feeder.
BIO:
Tony McVay is a contractor living with his family in the mountains of
western North Carolina. He's married to author, Chrissy K. McVay.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
What simple pleasures await you right outside your door?
* * * * *
ANGEL ANIMALS QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"My favorite story is about the monk who said to a Master, 'Has a dog
Buddha-nature too?' The Master replied, "Wuff"-which is what the dog
himself would have said."
--Gilbert Highet
"Your horse is almost like a painting. He is a work of art, whether he
is
clumsy art, fine art, or rare art depends on you, the artist. You will
also
leave your trademark on him. Hopefully you will be proud of it."
--Jack Brainard
"Ask of the beasts and they will teach you the beauty of this earth."
--St. Francis of Assisi
"There is no 'cat language.' Painful as it is for us to admit, they
don't need one!"
--Barbara Holland
* * * * *
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW BOOK:
RESCUED: Saving Animals From Disaster by Allen and Linda Anderson,
New World Library with a foreword by U.S. Senator John Ensign. Visit
www.rescuedsavinganimals.net for a preview of the book. This book can
now be ordered on Amazon.com, Bn.com, and other online bookstores and is
available in bookstores and from www.newworldlibrary.com. The authors
and publisher are donating a portion of book's proceeds to animal rescue
organizations.
Comments about RESCUED:
From BOOKLIST
"The volunteers who waded into the devastation left in Hurricane
Katrina's wake came in all sizes and shapes and redefined our notion of
hero. Many of these unlikely champions scooped endless shovels of poop,
distributed truckloads of food and clean water, and provided comfort and
kindness to animals whose world had blown apart. They worked against
Brobdingnagian odds: hundreds of thousands of frightened, starving
animals owners were forced to leave behind and little space in which to
care for the abandoned pets.
"Allen and Linda Anderson extensively interviewed the men and women who
came to rescue four-legged, finned, and feathered victims of Katrina.
The result is a treatise full of practical suggestions for dealing with
stranded animals, meeting their housing and medical needs, and,
ultimately, reuniting them with their owners. Aftermath stories will
change public policy, and every pet owner should read the Andersons'
book and develop their own private plan for the safety of their nonhuman
companions."
--Pamela Crossland, Copyright (c) AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. All
rights reserved
"Compelling, fascinating, and most important -- highly moral."
- Ben Stein, author, actor, commentator
PREVIOUS BOOKS:
ANGEL DOGS: Divine Messengers of Love, by Allen and Linda Anderson,
published by New World Library, with a foreword by Willard Scott.
RAINBOWS & BRIDGES: An Animal Companion Memorial Kit by Allen and
Linda Anderson, published by New World Library.
ANGEL CATS: Divine Messengers of Comfort
GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine
ANGEL ANIMALS: Exploring Our Spiritual Connection with Animals.
All of Allen and Linda's books are available at online or regular
bookstores, some Costco stores, and at many gift shops that sell
animal books. ANGEL CATS and ANGEL DOGS are also available through
One Spirit Book Club.
COMING SOON:
ANGEL HORSES: Divine Messengers of Hope by Allen and Linda Anderson,
New World Library (September 2006).
* * * * *
THIS WEEK'S LIVE RADIO INTERVIEWS
Visit www.rescuedsavinganimals.net/schedule.html to see this week's
interviews.
OTHER INFORMATION
The Angel Animals Network is devoted to collecting and disseminating
original, true stories about the spiritual connection between people
and animals. You can learn more about the Angel Animals at
www.angelanimals.net.
If you send this newsletter to others (and we hope that you will),
please don't change it in anyway and include the information above
about the Angel Animals Network. Thank you.
This newsletter is sent to you by the Angel Animals Network.
Copyright 2006, Allen and Linda Anderson, Angel Animals Network.
All rights reserved. Nothing in this newsletter may be reproduced
or published without the written permission of the individual
authors and/or copyright owners. Angel Animals(r) is a registered
trademark.
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