A man’s best friend and a man who is a friend

 We have a dog named Rip.

 Yes, he is named after the character in Yellowstone. 

My wife and little girl, have a habit of naming our animals after famous people. Right now they are in the " Yellowstone " phase. Our beloved dog Yadi,  just passed away from old age. We got her during the " baseball Cardinals " phase.

 Rip is a sweet dog, though he is dumb as a box of rocks. 

The way he leaps about when he is excited, reminds me of Chet the reindeer, on Tim Allen's, " Santa Claus 2 ". Rip is good at aggravating our older dog Tigger. 

Yes, that was the " Sons of Anarchy "phase. Like all our dogs have always been, he seems to think cat turds are a delicacy.

 So much so, that they will actually fight over control over the cat box. Just one of the reasons why I laugh, when I see a dogfood commercial that talks about how good it tastes. 

Like taste is something high on a dog's list of priorities. 

Do dogs even have taste buds? 

 He is still in the puppy phase, so he has a lot to learn, like not to jump on people. Or chase the chickens and ducks. Or lick giant black ants. 

Recently, my wife told the story, of him licking a giant black ant, and then rolling on the ground, as he desperately pawed at his mouth, trying to get the ant off his tongue, where it had attached itself. 

Sometimes the lessons we have in this life are painful. Whether we are animal or human, unfortunately, it is pain that is often our teacher. 

Whether it be physical or mental pain. Physical pain, often goes away quickly, though the scars, can remain forever. Mental pain can last a lifetime with no indication that anything is even a problem. 

This is the time of year, when a lot of people endure pain that they have carried with them since they were kids. 

If you happen to know one of these people, be there for them. 

Anywhere and anytime they need you. Be a real friend.

 We are often given chances to help others and we fail to see them, because we are so wrapped up in our own problems.

 Or we do recognize that help is needed, but we don't want to be troubled. 

I have written often about my wife Jonell. She is my caregiver and sometimes she could use help, but seldom do people reach out and offer her what she really needs. 

Today was an exception.

 A friend of ours named Dan that I hadn't seen in nearly 10 years came out to our house to visit and look at our front door, which was desperately in need of some attention. He is by trade a fix it man with over 50 years of experience, and Dan is overall a great guy. He helped us get started with our house when we first moved to our little place in the woods. I would go so far to say, that we couldn't have made it, we're it not for Dan. 

Maybe he can help you with some issue you have, his website is www.workshopdan.com . Normally, I would fix it myself, Jonell is certainly smart enough, she just does so much. It is one of the things she needs help with. Dan appeared at the perfect time. Providing exactly what was needed. Thank you Lord for providing.