WELCOME HAPPY MORNING. . . An Easter Dream.

I had an Easter dream early this morning.

Maggie Jo, my Chocolate Lab puppy, and I were walking in woods that looked like the Little Lehigh Parkway. She was off-leash. When one of you [C.N.] asked if I’d given up trying to train her. "Never," I said. And called my dog.

Who raced up to me, wagged her tail and went on by me to sail into the deep, deep, wide Little Lehigh River??. . . . She joined other dogs and people who were swimming.

Suddenly, a big mastiff got her collar and swam off with her. I ran along on the bank of the swift river trying to get the attention of the dog’s owner. Maggie Jo was just going along for the ride.

Ages, ages later the big dog let my dog go. Just as the river divided. I was standing on a penisula and watched as Maggie Jo was swept in the current and rapids past me and around to my left. [Remember how dreams are...]

The current took her back past me. I retraced my run on the other side of the spit of land. I was watching, helplessly, in horror as Maggie Jo struggled to stay up. Then she went down. And didn’t come up.
I was numb. Shocked.

Then I went into the water but couldn’t find her.
I went back on the land.
And ran along with the current.
The strength of the water eased.
It looked like the Little Lehigh near Poole Wildlife Sanctuary.
Just a little deeper.
I went back into the water.
It was calm and waist deep.
I couldn’t find Maggie Jo.
I was crying.

A homeowner came out and encouraged me to keep looking.
Then he said, "Look. Is that your dog?"

And there Maggie Jo was back up stream washed up on the far shore.
I ran to her. I think I called out her name.
The water was knee deep, when she stirred. Stood. Shook off.
The spray of water from her coat was back lit from the sunshine and broke into prisms of rainbow colors.
I called out "JO!"
She looked and came running.

As she ran she was all four of the dogs I’ve known as pets and friends.
Sturdy Sam. Child of a champion black Lab female who "got in trouble".
Elegant Belle. A retriever mix rescued from the Allentown Shelter.
And Lumpy. A tiny terrier who would lick you to death in greeting, if you let her. She had been abandoned and made her way to hide under one of our cars when we lived on the farm in New Jersey.

The homeowner said, "Yep, that’s your dog."
And Maggie Jo leapt right into my arms.
I was crying and laughing as we twirled around in the water.
And she wasn’t heavy...
...she was my 65 pound resurrected puppy, restored to me.
That’s Easter.

Happy Easter.
Rejoice that Christ is Alive.

Peace to all.

Do not delay...return your overdue library books today

I thought I'd heard it all.

A Wisconsin woman recently spent 6 days in JAIL for unpaid library fines!

Now, I always have to pay a fine when I return my library books. I just count it as a contribution to either the Emmaus or Allentown Library. I haven't yet tried to take those fines off on my income tax return, though. And libraries regularly have a line item for income generated by the payment of fines-- like mine.

So I read with amazement the story of Keely Givhan, a mother and college student, who was pulled over for not having a working light bulb over her license plate only to be told she also was wanted for unpaid library fines ($159) and unpaid court costs ($172). Having no cash to pay her fines, she spent six days in jail.
I hope she had a good book to read.

Police captain Bill Tyler said a violation is a violation "whether you've got dope or library books."
So I'm picturing a sizzling frying pan with a sunny side egg: This is your brain on books.