The Full Spectrum of Faith

    It is said that we, as the flawed, semi-conscious beings that we are, will lean on our faith in trying times...that our faith will see us through the turmoil at hand to a more softly-lit existence.
    Each of us holds a different view of our personal faith.
    Some have the utmost faith that God will salve our wounds and we will emerge healed, through no effort of our own, save our faith.
    Then there are those who have an undying faith in themselves...in their own ability to overcome tremendous trial and return to a place of hope by facing off with their adversity alone, drawing on personal strength.
    These two paths are not at all opposed. They do not exist in a vacuum.
    The deist must still fix coffee upon rising...go to work...return home to repair the leaky faucet. His inner human strength is needed to support his faith in God more than he may want to admit.
    This, while the man who believes in himself as the last line of defense in life will probably not acknowledge the fact that, in his most stressful moments, he will cast his eyes skyward...in search of answers.

A Pet Ownership Primer

This is my attempt to provide my community, and any community for that matter, an up-to-date primer to follow when considering the noble art of pet ownership. The main reason it is noble is simply because there are so many animals available with the need for a home. This fact, alone, makes it noble. Now, a person should decide why it is that they want the pet. To be noble? Companionship? Protection? The pet world is a broad marketplace that includes everything from cute to killer and usually someone who is after one extreme is not after the other. There are rules that govern pet ownership that vary from state to state also. Here in Tennessee there are leash laws that make it illegal to let your pet out of the home uncontrolled, hence the word 'leash'. This law covers all pets...from a cute little kitten to a vicious Doberman Pinscher. This is for the safety of everyone...not just pet owners. It also helps keep uncontrolled animals from crapping on private property. Other laws are noise ordinances. Here, constant barking or noise of any kind after 10pm until 7am is unlawful. It's a law, but a cop isn't going to enforce this without what is called a complaint. If any citizen's peace and quiet is disturbed in this way he or she can call in a complaint and there are proceedures whose ends are to put an end to the disturbance. The only problem seems to be that certain pet owners are aware of the rules and expend tremendous energy working around them. I've noticed in my neighborhood how the incessant barking of dogs curiously occurs during the hours when the Animal Control offices are closed, making it harder for someone to lodge a complaint. Some owners don't like the barking in their home...they can't sleep at night...imagine that! Some of them remedy this by letting the animal outside (fenced or chained of course) so everyone else can enjoy it. Multiply this by the uncanny numbers of what I'd call 'bad owners' and you can see how fast the neighborhood becomes a literal kennel. If you are thinking of joining the crowd as a brand new pet owner, the best thing to do would be to learn the rules, and keep one thing in mind that the rules do NOT explain...it's easy to love your pet but hard to remember not to force everyone else to.