NOW IT IS UP TO THE DOGS

"The humans have tried everything. Now it is up to us dogs!"

~101 Dalmatians~

You want to help and you aren't sure how. You find that the person home from war is not the same any more. You try everything. There are moments you are alone, frustrated, sad, angry and bitter.  It is as if when you said goodbye, you really said goodbye. 

A closed heart can become clogged. You try everything to open that heart but it just doesn't work.  You want to be kind and loving, but suddenly you find an edge to your voice, and it escalates into anger.  These are the times when a nonjudgmental friend is needed to keep our warriors balanced.  They need to be given permission to feel all of their emotions, including expressing anger in an appropriate manner.  They need someone to simply listen, as they express all of their issues with dignity and grace. Finding this solitary place, a spot where they feel safe, allows them to speak how they feel.  They can write it, shout it, pound it out, work with mental health professionals, go to the gym and work it out, but sometimes, once everything has been tried, it just might be time to leave it up to the dogs.

Seeking a place of healing is seeking a place of power.  With nonjudgmental acceptance our warriors can come back to center once again.  Maybe not the same center, but a new center. A center where they feel welcomed, where they can breathe, find energy, and loving resources around them.  Working things out, working things through, taking steps, with your best friend beside you, are steps toward healing where fears can be released, and a place where they can be gentle with themselves and hopefully find a place where their souls can be at peace.

With their dog by their side the warriors don't have to rush, push, or try to force things forward.  It doesn't work.  Not anymore.  Hurrying, or impatience, will not speed up the process, or their journey.  The answer, our warriors with PTSD need to fully immerse themselves in the moments. What better way to do that than with a dog who is the epitome of exemplifying being immersed in the moment. 

Thunder comes, storms come, and lightning flashes.  And it is frightening.  But storms don't last forever and with a dog by your side the damage can be minimal.  And perhaps, just perhaps, when humans have tried everything, it is at that precise moment that it is up to the dogs!

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"Just as nature plays out her storms, sometimes with violence, sometimes with gray days, sometimes with a gentle cleansing rain, we have storms in our lives, storms in our soul.  Storms are part of life, part of growth, part of the journey."

~Melodie Beattie~

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THIS HOLIDAY SEASON PLEASE CONSIDER SAVING THE LIFE OF A WOUNDED WARRIOR WITH PTSD.

TO SPONSOR A TEAM WITH YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION IS 1,000.00.

A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR A LIFE!

PENNY'S FROM HEAVEN FOUNDATION, INC.

13423 BLANCO ROAD, STE. 218

SAN ANTONIO, TX 78248

www.pennysfromheavenfoundation.org

www.tadsaw.org  (under construction)