Have you ever noticed that there is one person in a family that seems to bind all the others together? Often, it's the organizer, the older person. In my family, it's me. I'm both the organizer and the oldest! But each person in a family brings something so unique to the "personality" or character of that family.

In my family, my husband Mark competes to be the organizer. Mark's personality is strong, and because he's a senior systems engineer, he likes to solve all the problems for everyone in the family! Sometimes that needs to be tempered with a bit of TLC on my part. But, that's all right. He's such a great guy to have on your side.

Then, there's Uncle Bob, Mark's brother. What an amazing human being. He makes everybody laugh and smile. He should have been a stand-up comedian instead of the president of a corporation! Just being in the room with him puts us all in a good mood!

My son Rett is the charmer. He's handsome, and could sell you an air conditioner for your home in the North Pole and be delighted that you made the purchase. You get the picture. What a delight it is to have him in our lives.

His sister, Stephanie, is a dreamer. We've always accused her of being an alien from another planet! She's fun-loving, smart and entertains us endlessly with her thoughts. Another great piece of our family pie.

Then, there's the grandkids. Lauren is Rett's oldest. She's so beautiful she makes your eyes hurt when she walks in the room. Talk about lighting up a room. That one should be in movies. Oh, wait, she has been!  Her twin brothers, Diesel and Slater are so very unique from each other, even being twins. Diesel is big for his age but sensitive with an artist's soul. Slater, the smaller of the two, is an athlete, a natural-born one. And all three grandkids are so smart they make my head spin.

Rounding it out are DW and Chris. DW is Stephanie's fiance. He's a bonafide genius. Can talk to you about any topic and blow you away. Chris is Lauren's husband. He's handsome, quiet and kind. He worships the ground Lauren walks, and the love they have between them is a beautiful thing.

And this doesn't even take into account the powerful influence of Grandpa Bill, Grandma Carolyn, Aunt Tracy and her boys, or my nieces Lee and Franny and their wonderful families and children - all far away from us on the East Coast but always in our hearts.

And, we have become caregivers for Grandma Bobbie who has been struggling of late. This has taught us all the meaning of unconditional love - caring when it isn't always easy. A great lesson to be learned.

Put all together, this is one loving, happy family! That's why I so look forward to the holiday season and give thanks for each one of them.

So, I challenge you. Can you create the personality of your family by identifying each of their unique personalities and presence? Think about what they mean to your life, and the importance of family.

I'm going to take some time off from my blog during the holiday season and be back in the New Year so that I can appreciate and enjoy each and every member of my beautiful family. I hope you do the same!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Til Next Year,
Carol

I had a terrible day yesterday. It started out well, with me being able to accomplish much on my "to do" list. But about 11a it all came crashing down. My husband Mark is out of town. So is his brother Bob. Whenever they are gone, the responsibility of making sure my mother-in-law has what she needs and is doing well in her assisted-living residence falls to me. Not normally a big deal.

Unfortunately, yesterday, she woke up in a great deal of pain and couldn't get out of bed. She has a number of health issues which make not getting up out of bed a bad thing. After numerous calls to the nursing staff at the facility and a call to the doctor, it was determined she'd need to go to Urgent Care. Sadly, she was totally incapacitated and not able to walk on her own. Enter Donald, my daughter's fiance! Donald had been the main caregiver for both his mother and grandfather through their final last year or two of life. He is a strong, strapping young man, and he knew just what to do, short of calling an ambulance.

Then, there were the dogs. As most of you know, we have three of our own, and we work in rescue, so there's always a foster with us. I knew going to Urgent Care would be a five or six hour commitment, which would butt right in to doggie playtime and dinner. Enter Stephanie, my daughter. She dropped what she was doing - she runs a boutique publishing company - came right over, played and brushed all the dogs and made sure they had dinner. On top of it, she stayed with them until Donald and I returned home.

With Donald to do all the heavy lifting (getting Mark's Mom in and out of a wheelchair and a car and into the hospital, etc.) and Stephanie taking over my dog responsibilities, I was able to focus on my mother-in-law's health issue at hand.

Why am I burdening you with the trials and tribulations of my day? Because as I said goodbye to Donald and Stephanie, thanking them profusely for their help (after treating them to a nice dinner out), they just looked at me and said: "That's why we're here; it's what family does for each other."

I don't think that can be said enough. And, keep in mind, family isn't just blood; it's those you choose to be a part of it. I have always loved James Taylor's song, "That's why I'm here."  Listen to the lyrics.

Now, this is an example of unconditional love. My children could have blown me off. After all, they have lives, responsibilities and commitments. But they dropped everything and came running. That's Why We're Here. Doesn't that strike you as downright beautiful?

I think my mother-in-law summed it up beautifully. Her words: "It's so nice to have people who care."

So the next time your family or friends need you, don't forget that's why you're here.

Til Next Time
Carol

This is Thor and Ty-Ty, our two rescues. They aren't the first of our rescue dogs, but they are symbolic of what Mark and I do on a daily basis to help dogs in need.

On November 6th, I wrote about the Wings of Rescue Holiday Airlift to take 1,006 dogs to the Northwest and Canada to forever homes. I'm proud to report that all 1,006 dogs have been adopted and are now living in their forever homes. They were all pulled from kill shelters by rescue groups participating in the operation. Since Wings of Rescue began, more than 16,000 dogs have been saved. The holiday air lift broke the record for the most dogs saved at one time!

When we rescued Thor, he was in an unhappy situation. The owners didn't want to deal with an energetic puppy and luckily decided to re-home him rather than take him to the shelter. He is an incredible creature, and just the best of friends. He still thinks he is a puppy and crawls up in bed with us at night to snuggle. He provides so much unconditional love to both Mark and me, and we couldn't be more thrilled than to have him in our lives.

As for Ty-Ty, we got a frantic call from one of our rescue friends who had found him on the streets, starving, terrified and suspicious of everyone and everything. Today, he is healthy, happy and the biggest character who makes us laugh out loud on a daily basis. He has that wolf talk thing going that all huskies have, and he is just one of the most delightful creatures to watch. When I feel blue about something, I just watch him for a few minutes, and he puts a smile back on my face!

What could have happened to them and so many foster dogs that we've met makes me cringe. Approximately 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in this country. Many of them beautiful, purebred dogs like Thor and Ty-Ty.

That's why the majority of proceeds from all my books goes to our dog rescue efforts. 

So, during this holiday season, won't you consider your four-legged friends and either donate to Wings of Rescue or purchase one or more of my books? It's a small price to pay to change a life or save a life forever.

Visit Wings of Rescue or my Amazon Author Page.

Thank you as always for your friendship, kindness and support!

Til Next Time,
Carol