Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon

    When you wake up in the morning, it's easy to lie in bed thinking negative thoughts. You don't realize it, but that's setting the tone for a lousy day.In this devotional, Joel and Victoria Osteen offer an inspiring tool to help you set your mind for a positive, happy, faith-filled day. You will read Scripture, reflect on a daily reading, pray a special prayer, and meditate on a thought for the day -- all with a goal to starting the day off grateful, thinking about God's goodness, expecting His favor, and setting the tone for a blessed, productive day. Just a few minutes each morning can make a big difference. When you wake up to hope, you'll not only have a better attitude but you'll see more of God's blessings and favor.

    In the perfect follow-up to A Prince Among Dogs, Callie Smith Grant compiles a delightful collection of true stories that celebrate the dogs in our lives. These stories will touch our hearts, renew our spirits, and show us how God made these wonderful creatures for unique purposes.Readers will love these uplifting glimpses into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary dogs and the people who love them. The stories are warm, captivating, and ideal for a good curl-up-and-read or a perfect gift for any dog lover.

    While you can never be completely prepared for that time, what is offered by Dr. Wallace Sife in these pages can help you draw upon new strength to ease your grief and pain.In this fully revised and expanded edition of the award-winning book "The Loss of a Pet," Dr. Sife, one of the pioneering authors and counselors in the field of pet bereavement, covers all viewpoints of bereavement for a beloved animal companion. This book includes practical suggestions, as well as brief case histories, and illustrates the insights that Dr. Sife has gleaned from his many years of experience.In addition to helping the reader cope with the death of a much-loved pet, "The Loss of a Pet" addresses pet losses that are not death-related. Dr. Sife has specially designed this book to help you learn more about yourself through the grieving process and to successfully cope with this unique kind of loving and grief?and, most importantly, to help you realize that you are not alone.

    Reading this book is like talking to a friend who knows you almost better than you know yourself...it doesn't stop at just helping you through the grief...it will help you find an even deeper connection to your lost loved ones." - Ingrid King, ConsciousCat.net, author of Buckley's Story and Purrs of Wisdom If the loss of a feline friend has hit you particularly hard, know you are not alone.In Soul Comfort for Cat Lovers, you will find validation, coping insights, and practical wisdom conveyed with spiritual warmth.Liz Eastwood, CNC weaves her own experiences with advice from grief experts and stories from cat lovers to help you:process your feelings and recognize them as normal create something positive out of the energy of grief cultivate a continued sense of connection to your cat deal with inconvenient grief strengthen your natural coping chemistry This book also explores evidence of the most soulful of soul comforts: the possibility of the continuation of your loved one's spirit-and your connection to that spirit-after death. This topic is discussed from a perspective of open-minded curiosity, without bringing in any particular dogma or religion.Asserting that you can live wholeheartedly after loss, and that your feline friend would want nothing less for you, Soul Comfort for Cat Lovers is a compassionate handbook for your grief-healing journey.

    What was waiting in the backseat as a hospital security guard moved a patient's vehicle? If you lost your new Littmann, to what extremes would you go to get it back?In this edition, we have weird ideas patients had about sex and reproductive health, hear more from school nurses, and thank our lucky stars we weren't on THAT shift.

    Horses nuzzle their way into our hearts and have a way of teaching us a lot about ourselves, about life, and even about God. Just ask horse enthusiast Cara Whitney, wife of comedian and actor Dan Whitney (aka Larry the Cable Guy).Through years spent working with these majestic animals, Cara Whitney has learned countless spiritual lessons that have brought her closer to God. She shares those stories in Unbridled Faith. In 100 heartfelt devotions with stunning photography, you'll:Learn about being flexible in your faith from a gangly legged colt.Discover the secret to overcoming temptation through a horse's "sneak and eat" game.From a pony with a sweet tooth, find out why we should be glad God doesn't answer yes to all of our prayers.Be reminded that you are priceless to God by a one-eyed quarter horse named Roanie.  This devotional is perfect for anyone who adores horses and the simple farm life.

    Then it was the Doberman, symbol of the Nazi menace. Today, it is the Pit bull that is vilified for the depravity of his masters. Today, police chase down fleeing Pit bulls in the street, firing dozens of wild shots in response to media-fed rumors of supernatural Pit bull abilities. Politicians coach and nurture this fear with their own brand of rhetoric used to assist in the passing of quick and ineffective legislation created to pacify communities ignorant of the real cause for dog attacks. Hundreds of animal shelters throughout the country kill all unclaimed Pit bull-looking dogs, as they are deemed "unadoptable" solely on their physical appearance. This has occurred because the human/dog bond, the most complex and profound inter-species relationship in the history of mankind, has been reduced to a simple axiom: Breed of dog = degree of dangerousness. We have come to accept that hanging entire breeds of dogs in effigy for the sins of their owners is an acceptable solution to canine aggression because we have been placated by a Pit Bull Placebo. Like the pharmacologically inactive sugar pill dispensed to pacify a patient who supposes it to be medicine, eradication of the Pit bull is the placebo administered to ease the public's anxiety about dog attacks. The book, The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression, explores how our views and beliefs about canine aggression have changed over the last 150 years and how our perceptions about the nature and behavior of dogs has been influenced by persons and organizations who often times disseminate information about dog attacks which is tailored to further an agenda unrelated to the improvement of the human/dog bond. We are in the midst of a social hysteria about Pit bulls because we have abandoned centuries-old common-sense and have been duped by inaccurate reporting from the "Pit Bull Paparazzi" and by politicians who traffic in rumors, myths and pseudoscience in their efforts to pass legislation that demonizes dogs while exonerating criminal and abusive owners. If we truly believe that the extremely rare cases of fatal dog attacks merit extreme measures in the management of dogs, if our concern and shock is genuine, then we must be equally genuine and sincere in seeking out and addressing the real causes for these incidents. Only by stepping back from the swirl of present-day hysteria surrounding isolated cases of severe canine aggression and examining the problem from a broader and more objective perspective can we hope to understand and address the human and canine behaviors which contribute to these incidents.

    She says, "If you're going reach your highest potential in life, you're going to have to develop the ability to see beyond where you are right now." Through empowering, uplifting stories and biblical teachings, Victoria will encourage you to set your mind and intent towards the important things in life with seven exceptional practices:Keep your memory box full of encouragementLift up your eyesKnow that you are chosenLove wellKeep your accounts shortLive in your space of gratitudeStart your day off rightLive encouraged, live empowered, and live intentional, and see the new and exciting things God has in store for you.

    But when an unusual event happens, they learn there is another dog out there who is counting on them.Based on true events that happened in the author's life, this short story tells the tale of two very different dogs that loved their way into the heart of one family and how, through both life and death, they each formed a bond that would be cherished forever

     Let me test my presumption with a preview of four these ‘old’ stories. If I told you there was once a west coast sex cult with dozens of young girls, single ladies, and married women, who all fornicated with one well-endowed “prophet,” and he occasionally found it necessary to carry-out bondage S&M sessions here and there, you may not be surprised at all. But what if that sex cult began in 1903 and ended in 1906 with a couple of murders and suicides, does that sound like anything you have read about before? Or, how about a cheater who murders his inconvenient wife, disassembles her over a fifteen hour period, then puts her bones in the same stove he cooks breakfast for his sons before sending them off to school? If that doesn’t surprise you, perhaps the ending will–but you’ll have to find out for yourself. In ‘The Dandy and the Squire,’ a smooth-talking peacock from Kentucky visits his northern ‘cousins,’ and charms three of the women into his bed. He’s a big time operator who talks fancy, dresses fancy, and tells great stories of his days as an adventurer, riverboat gambler, and sharp-minded deal maker. He’s so smooth, he’s able to murder the patriarch’s son, make him look like the bad guy, and marry the boy’s tender-hearted sister before the Yankees get wise to his lies. Good thing, too, because he had also talked the father into giving him the family farm. Chapter Five is the stranger-than-fiction story of ‘Shoebox Annie.’ During the early 20th Century, this trollish-looking woman introduced her freakish-looking son to a life of crime. Their decade’s long spree of lyin’, cheatin’, and stealin’ led them to become America’s first mother and son team of serial killers. They were so good at disposing of bodies, none of their four victims have ever been found. If ‘old’ stories sound boring to readers of contemporary true crime, I hope this book will change minds, and fully reveal just how wicked and decadent our ancestors were. And deadly. Volume II in the Vintage True Crime Stories series is a wrecking ball that smashes to pieces that phrase, “The Good Old Days.” Maybe you will believe me when you get to the last page.

    In Daring to Ask for More, Melody Mason has shone the light of God’s Word on the path to true revival—Holy Spirit-inspired, daring, audacious prayer. I know this book will be a tremendous blessing to many.Doug Batchelor, President and Speaker, Amazing Facts If prayer is “the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse” as Steps to Christ declares, then Melody Mason’s new book is long overdue. Daring to Ask for More is precisely God’s strategic appeal to this generation living on the edge of eternity. Daring to Ask for More indeed! May our hearts be stirred up as never before to seek God through prayer as never before, while there is still time.Dwight K. Nelson, Senior Pastor, Pioneer Memorial Church, Andrews University Melody Mason’s new book, Daring to Ask for More, is driving me to my knees. My needs are so great and my resources so few, what self-righteousness it is to pray so little. Thank you for that push!Frank Fournier, President, ASI

    It is the story of someone that did not know his destiny, but followed it with unfaltering step, bound to me, not by vows or paper, but in the name of the trust that was the best part of his nature. It is a story of the one that taught me to love, even as he occasionally barfed on my carpet. It is simply the tale of a black Labrador retriever named Barkley. It was the beginning I never anticipated; belief that there were no limits that made tragedy inevitable, a gentle nuzzle that made the walls fall away, and the pull of the leash into the day's infinitude. It was an ending I did not expect; a leash laid across the chair, an empty bed, a glass tipped over, spilling the blood of wine. The noise that empty rooms make is as clear as tears. In between, there are the stories, of friends, of joy and dog hair, of a small pink ball with feet known as Mr. Squeaky, which became my mortal enemy at dawn, as I tried to sleep. There are tales of the great "bacon incident" and how I know more about how to clean carpet than should be allowed by law. There are words that twist and turn in the shade of an ancient tree, a sonnet to an old dog, who lies between the bones of poets, to be unearthed as he releases me to remember. - From the Book of Barkley

    However, it's not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude...learn how to dance in the rain?It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but one word...gratitude, can change your attitude, and thus your life, forever. Sarah Breathnach said it best..."When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present... We experience heaven on earth."Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher have written a classic on "the awesome power of gratitude." No matter what your circumstances are, you cannot read this book and not feel extremely blessed.Learning to Dance in the Rain is an inspiring and beautiful book full of wonderful stories, quotes, poems and insight to help you reflect on the positives in life. A wonderful book to give to someone in need of encouragement - it can take you from feeling down to feeling blessed.

    During a dramatic three-day ride across miles of high desert, Monty Roberts used all his skill to connect with the little mustang he finally befriended. In the year that followed, Shy Boy grew to love life on the farm, playfully demanding attention, and becoming fascinated by children. After a year of challenges and one frightening illness, the wild horse's exceptional spirit earned the respect and admiration of his trainers. And, as a result of a PBS-aired program based on his initial encounter with Roberts, Shy Boy gained international fame.Yet throughout this extraordinary year, Monty Roberts struggled with the question, "Would Shy Boy rather be free?" With trepidation, he took Shy Boy back to the wild to let him choose. The event, and its stunning conclusion, are memorably captured in these magnificent photographs and in a story that is both unforgettable and inspiring.