Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.

Mark Twain 

Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelm us.

We arrive at the field. Their noses are urgently pressed to the window. I open the car door and Mia goes flying out to the left, Daisy to the right. Both are hot onto the scent of….who knows what. 

To my dogs, this place is heaven. These acres of gorgeous rolling meadows with wide paths mowed out, curving to the left and then gently flowing right. Here Mia and Daisy get to be what they were born to do: hunt. 

So Mia bounds like a deer—all 100 pounds—through the tall grass off the mowed path, looking to unearth any unsuspecting birds, running crazy patterns just to release her energy. When she flushes out pheasants or other wild fowl and they take flight, she holds her head a little higher, her gait becomes a little faster, and her tail wags a little more merrily. Yes, she is the pheasant warrior.

“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.”

Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

John Grogan

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5, 42:11, and 43:5 

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.

“I’m going to need that.” I stood next to her bunk and held out my hands for the item.

 Tracy continued to lay strewn across her bed nonchalantly carving into the wall with her machete.

 “Hand me the knife.” I said more firmly.

Heart Matters Publishing is a team effort. There's not a blog that I write that is posted without my Editor, LuAnn Adams, loving eyes perusing it first. She not only dot's my i's and crosses my t's, she adds beautiful insight and suggestions that are a gift to me. So... it is with joy that together we post this collaborative effort. I am delighted to lift up not only LuAnn's editorial skills, but, her writing skills, as well.

Enjoy and Be Blessed Friends!

Julie