Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the Year of the Snake.
But wait! There’s more! On February 14, 2013, my guide dog Hedy will be six years old. In celebration I am posting my outburst of new shirts and totes triggered by love for my Valentine’s Day partner and the new lunar year.
[wp_cart:Hearts & Paws tote bag:price:25.00:shipping:4.00:end]
[wp_cart:Scamper tee-shirt:price:25.00:shipping:4.00:end]
The shirt below was designed to honor puppy raisers—those dauntless souls who volunteer to prepare puppies for training to be service dogs. I’ve met and interviewed quite a few raisers over the years, and they all have great big hearts, which is why I painted this with a huge heart.
Here are the Year of the Snake shirts.
And to celebrate fast-approaching spring and my continuing liberation into better health, here’s a little flurry of flora in the style of my paper cuts hero, Henri Matisse.
In this new year, may you be smooth in your going, wise as serpents and harmless as doves. May you travel safely in partnership with friends whose hearts are big and warm. And as the last of winter’s chill leaves the earth around you, may the vibrant beauty of spring remind you that the harsh and dark of life does not last forever. First out of bare branches are not leaves, but blossoms. God told me He made them for Hope. No matter what, there is always Hope, and His Hope does not disappoint.
2 Comments
Jennifer Garrisi
February 11, 2013 - 6:26 PMLovely! I can’t believe Hedy is going to be six! Happy Valentine’s Day…I hope you had a wonderful birthday!
Carolyn Wing Greenlee
February 11, 2013 - 7:54 PMI know! She doesn’t look a day over five!
Actually, Labs are puppy brained their whole lives. In their minds, they’re never old. My Lab Velvet was fourteen, blind, deaf, and crippled, but she’d still grab a stick whenever your brother dropped by. She was the eternal optimist.
My birthday was fabulous. Best in my whole life. I wonder if they get better as we get older–maybe because we’re so grateful to have another one. Or that we’re wise enough to know what a gift it is to keep living and share the planet with beauty, family, good food and wonderful friends. I am blessed!