The Passing Of My Best Friend Dude

I can’t believe my buddy of nine years is gone. seems just like yesterday I was driving to meet him for the first time where he was given up for adoption. The first time I saw Dude, he was a year and a half young, red furred, hundred and thirty-five pounds of pure sweetness. The man who owned the kennel had his five-year old daughter scratching his ears. As I walked up to meet them all, the little girl said,”Dude is the nicest dog ever, just look at the top of his nose. It looks like a heart. God put it there so everyone would know how good Dude is.” Man, that was an understatement.

After spending an hour walking him, and getting to know him, Kennel owner guy said “Sign the papers, there is no doubt, that Dude is adopting YOU!” SO the next thing I know, I am driving home with my addition to the family. Remember, I said he was 135 pounds? He was also about four-foot long to boot. I had a small Ford Ranger, and Dude refused to ride shotgun!

We took a few weeks to get to know each other. I also had another furry pal, Cody, at the time. Dude was huge, and thought everybody else was just as big, playful, and durable as he. In other words, the big guy was a bull in the China shop. He sent poor Cody to the doctor’s office with a four-inch gouge just below her eye. He ran through the fence wile paling, and though he returned when the neighbor told him too, Cody was on the lam for two days!

I was having a bbq one afternoon with some friends, and Dude walked into the house, grab a five-pound dish of crab bisque, and took it outside and consumed the entire thing. Well, it almost killed him! He never moved for over three hours. Once he came back to life, he became good friends with the chef who made that dish.

Through out the years, Dude and I had many an adventure. Most better than Twain could have ever created for Huck. We used to go for walks under the overpass by my house. There were always drugged out bums doing the stupid crap that their habit makes them do. Dude would always growl and snarl at em’, and they would cuss back at us. I would always tell em’ “If I ever find any of my, our my neighbor’s property in their possession, I would let Dude be their judge,jury, and executioner.” Well, I did not say it quite like that, but this is a family friendly blog!
Not being a guy that leaves home for more than a day or two, I know, for a fact, I never spent more than two days apart from Dude. Just like I had never spent more than two weeks apart from my father until his death in 97. While the bond between me and my pop was unbelievably close, the friendship between me and Dude was a clear-cut second place.

I came home late Tuesday afternoon, and realized Dude was still in the same place as when I left that morning. He had hip dysplasia for quite some time, but he was not in pain, and still was able to bark at cats, and walk the fence and bark at thugs. When I called him, he just gave me a look that instantly told me that he was having a serious issue. It is amazing to be able to communicate with an animal. It is truly a blessing that God gives to some of us. I went to help pick him up, and Dude gently bit down on my arm. I knew at that very second, that God was asking me to return Dude. Heck, I am so blessed He loaned him to me for nine years.

I called my friend the vet, and his staff would meet me when we arrived. We had a great ride down to Turlock, and I told Dude how much I loved him, and that our first ride together was so much different from our last, but I would not change a thing. Dude just looked at me and I knew he was not sad, and that he knew that he was heading to a place where he could run and play once more. And that he knew that this would make me happy. And that is what Dude did very, very well; Make me happy. Dude being Dude always helped me to remember that there is a God. So when they carried my once one hundred and thirty-five pound ball of “happy” into the room where he would breathe his last breath, and close his eyes one last time, I said my thanks and good byes to my best friend. I tell you what, I can kick a lot of ass, and take a lot of pain, and do it with a smile, but I looked at my friend, who was strapped to the gurney, with a tube in his leg, waiting for the final shot, Dudes lat words to me where,” I love you, thanks for being my friend, and please wait outside while I do this, because I know how you want to remember me.” I thanked him, and told Doctor Rob to let me know when Dude was back with God. And that is the last I saw of him.

I sat in the backyard for the first time in nine years, and drank beer, and listened to George Jones, Dudes favorite, without him. Damn, sad and country music go great together. I know my friend is in Doggy Heaven, chasing cats that are in Kitty Hell! And I know that Dude’s passing has opened up the door for another of God’s gifts to find their way to my home, and my heart.

Another ” In A Blink Of An Eye” Story

I recently was blessed enough to speak with a nice young man who had substitute taught at my campus. He recently graduated from a university in Florida, and returned to California. He was telling about what a wonderful day he had. The students and staff were great, and he enjoyed the Friday treats that were in the staff’s lounge. We spoke about golf, and he had asked me what I liked about coaching the sport. He was eager to return and I told him I would make sure to pull some strings and get him back ASAP.

The other day in the local news paper there was a report of an automobile accident involving to men. Only a name was given. It was the same as “our sub”. His is a common name, so I did some checking. II contacted the paper, but they could not confirm he was the nice man I had spoken to. Well, what the paper could not confirm in an e-mail to me, it did on the obituary page. It was him. Our conversation lasted 20 minutes; a blink of an eye. He died at 26 years of age: A blink of an eye.

This is why I believe so much in My Father. While it is a sad day here for his family, fiends, and those like me who briefly knew him, it is a joyous day in Heaven. He is now home with The Father and His Son.

A Muslim Response

This was a response from Abdul that I thought should be made into a post.

Abdul Basit says:
Augustine, Wayne & Billy,
Thank you very much for the very kind and beautiful address of the issue.
I actually didn’t have a full understanding of the way of how Christian Receives the Old Testimony. Any how, my goal is to show the rational of Muslims regarding their religion.
Regarding the Women Issue: first of all regarding the head cover:
in the early days of Islam, there was no law of covering the head till the Surah 33:59 came. http://quran.al-islam.com/Loader.aspx?pageid=738&BookID=15&page=1
There was only one Companion who thought they shall cover the whole body including the faces. While all other Companions believe the face can be shown which is very obvious from the Ayah.

Therefore, more than 95% of the Muslim women show their faces. (the only two country who apply the whole body cover is Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan) I am a Saudi Arabian with a Semi-Afghan Origin and below is why I think the most strict rule shall be used.

The law of a country is usually based on its environment. you cannot apply a law that cannot fit the environment. in the Arabian Peninsula there are people called the Desert Arab (9 phrases were warning Muslim of them e.g. Surah 9:97 & 48:11)
therefore, women are exposed to a danger life if they expose themselves to them. They would be protected if they covered the whole body. In Afghanistan, which is not a pleasant place to go. These people are also very danger and the rules must be strict to control them. They are drug manufacturer and very opium farmer. So Muslims Ruler (of course weaken already in Afghanistan) tend to apply the most stringent rules to keep the peace.

Wayne:
this is not true. What you are referring to is the arabic Culture which Islam came to change and it was changed in the early ages but the Arab kept their culture the same.
we have the same Mosaic law. the application of the law happened twice during our Prophet time and he avoided to punish those people but because of their insistence he applied the rule (search “Hadith Muslim 4202″) the and the third time was a man saw his wife with another man but since he couldn’t give the right evidence he made what we call mula’anah and divorced her (read http://www.alim.org/library/hadith/SHB/407/9 or search “Hadith Muslim 3553″).

What you mentioned is applied by the Desert Arab, Afghan and Canaan tribes not Islam.

Regarding whether the American Women are living better life or not:
I can think of many aspect that make the life better as follows:
1- is it fun: well Religion is not fun. If you want to have fun that cross the lines of the religion, do it and try not to brag about it. (more than 70% of the Muslims countries are very open and you can find women free to do even as prostitutes job and nobody even blame her. I brought that extreme to demonstrate the amount of freedom they have.) (25% are balanced and they can do what ever they like except (drinking alcohol and having an illegal affair publicly), 5%
2- Freedom to do social activities: for 95% of the Muslim women (except Afghan and Saudi Arabia), they have similar life to the European or American. for the Afghan, their life were about to be good till they were engaged in the war. For the Saudi’s, well, it is kind of difficult to judge but I am sure that 99.99% of them if given the choice between living in US or Saudi they would say Saudi. They feel more of their female side there. Life in the US is very tough for most women and some times a woman need to sells herself to live.
3- Freedom of unlawful Pregnancy: Well we have almost zero single Moms and very high percentage of the women don’t care much about bringing food to the table.
4- Economically: Women are kind of spoiled in most of the Muslims countries. (except those who are getting westernized). They are majority in the workforce of the countries. and they don’t get jobs such as Secretaries or the attractive waiters. They do what respected women do (clothes industry, Education, Health, Government Administration.) go to Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, UAE, (etc.) , it is difficult to find women in a non-westernized facility working in a low type of work (such as waiter, secretary) Islam didn’t prohibit that at all, they use to work what ever suit them unless the work require manly actions.
5- Control: the wife of the prophet after his death is one of the biggest example on how women used to rule men. She took her Camel and gathered the men for the revenge of Caliphate Ottoman. and because of her, the biggest war after the prophet death was her’s and it was called the battle of the Camel.

Now My Question to you:

1- The stories of the Old Testimony for me shall not be distributed to everybody because such stories might reduce the huge sins in the eye of the receiver. this might be the reason the old Roman Church didn’t allow people to read the bible.
2- in the Old Testimony God made a promise by himself to give the land of Canaan to Israel by the power of the people (Jihad). If you read the both testimonies, you conclude that it is not the same God.
3- Augustine, you said that there are only two laws you are following, Love God and Love you neighbor. but there are certain things you are not allowed to do. like looking at strange women with sexual feeling. You might be able to love that women (in the name of God) but you cannot control your instinct the punishment of that is very harsh which make it better to take you eye out than having that punishment. Another example, Paul told you to eat from the butcher without asking where this meat came from, but if you know it was sacrifices of the pagan, then you are not allowed to eat from (the pagans . you cannot love god and disobey him in the same time.
4- The Women are liberated but still they were considered less than men, (1 Corinthians 11:9). The teaching of the Christian was only for men, In Islam, Women made almost the same contribution in the teaching of the religion.

best regards,

A Shout Out To My Fellow Christian Friends

I received the following response to one of my post. It is from a person named Abdulbasit I. Gari. He seems to be under the belief that men are, or were not, punished by God for adultery. He further claims that God did not punish Lot for sleeping with his daughters:
I don’t see a problem with having a good Sexual Appetite. It reflects the nature of Human being.
I have a problem with how to satisfy this sexual appetite. The bible showed us how the prophets are sexually active. Don’t be a shamed if you have Sexual potentials.
The Shame comes from the way you express your sex life.
This is the problem with the bible (Genesis 19:31-35) A prophet (Lot) who is respected by God and Angles Sleep with his two daughters. This is really sick.
Or the other Prophet and the Grand mother of Jesus who was his daughter in law? (Genesis 38: 15-18) (of course as muslims, we believe all these are lies)

In the bible, only the women get punished for adultery (Genesis 38) and all the guys are free to do what ever suit their appetite. In Islam, Men as Women shall be Punished for adultery:
“The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication flog each of them with a hundred stripes: let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of the Believers witness their punishment.” (Quran 24-2)

Muhammad the human being, has his sexual appetite but he did it in acceptable manner. If this manner was not accept in his culture, his message weren’t reached to the Roman Empire and Persian Empires

Of course, yours truly, fired this response back: Thou shall not commit adultery, as stated in the 10 Commandments, applies to men and women. And God did not condone Lot’s sleeping with anyone but his wife.
If I am not mistaken, one of allah’s wives was a pre-teen. Let’s talk about sick? Look at how women today are treated in Muslim countries, and compare them to western societies, the USA specifically. Sorry, allah and Islam don’t think much of women, now do they?

The Bible, being the Word of God, is also like a newspaper of that day, reporting facts, and just because something is written in the paper, does not always mean it is condone by the editor/reporter.
It is also my opinion that saying women are treated better by the Islamic world, compared to mostly Christian majority nation, is laughable, if not for its seriousness.

So my Christian friends, what say you to Abdul?

Public Official From Times of Christ Recorded Exactly What Jesus Looked Like (via 333 Crucible: The Divine Imperative)

Copyright 12.23.2010 By Chase Kyla Hunter 'Glorious day! To know His face, to see His countenance, to behold the radiance of God's truth pouring out of His eyes. This has been my dream, forevermore." – CK Hunter This item I located this morning may turn out to be the sweetest Christmas present anyone could have given me. It's a priceless piece of treasured Christian history, the recorded comments and observations about Jesus of Nazareth made by a … Read More

via 333 Crucible: The Divine Imperative