#Dumping

[julieterbang]

mukeven_jobs__

[momentsbeforemass]

The secret of our Faith

Most of the problems that you and I have to deal with in life – most of the things that will come between us and God – come from one of three sources.

They come from the things that happen to us. They come from the things that we do to ourselves. And they come from the people around us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is warning us about the people around us.

Most of us never give much thought to who we have around us. The people around us are a fairly random collection of folks we’re related to, people we know from work or school, people we live near, and so on.

Almost none of those connections are intentional.

But what Jesus is telling us to do is just the opposite. Jesus is telling us to be intentional about who we have around us.

He’s telling us to take stock. To see who’s around us, who we’re letting influence us.

And to be honest with ourselves, about what sort of fruit they’re producing in our lives. To be aware of the impact that they’re having on us. Ask yourself,

Does your stomach sink, when you get a notice that they just texted or called you? That’s some bad fruit.

When you tell them your good news, do they take the joy out of it? That’s some bad fruit.

After you’ve talked with them, do you feel worse? That’s some bad fruit.

That is not who God wants you around. Because when you’re weighed down with all of that bad fruit, that’s what you’re going to be paying attention to. There’s no room in your life for God, when that’s what you’re filled up with.

Which is why Jesus is clear about what has to happen – “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The people that are producing bad fruit in your life? They have to go.

And you’re thinking, “Oh, but I’ve known them for years. I wouldn’t want to upset them.” Maybe they’re even family.

Jesus isn’t saying that you have to tell anyone why they’re seeing less of you. Or tell someone that they’re bearing bad fruit in your life. You don’t have to make a dramatic exit.

But you do need to start making yourself less available to the bearers of bad fruit, starting today.

You know what isn’t in today’s Gospel? Exceptions.

Nobody has permission to fill your life with bad fruit. Nobody has permission to dump a bunch of garbage between you and God. Even if they are family.

You are God’s beloved child. He did not pay the price to redeem you so that you could waste your time being miserable, being beaten down by the bearers of bad fruit.

The old catechism put it this way, “God made us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next.”

The secret of our Faith? Is that God loves you too much to make you wait until forever for all the good that He has for you.

Happy with God starts in this life. And it starts with getting rid of the bearers of bad fruit.

Today’s Readings

[cyborgyafranky]

franky cute as hella finna cry over him again

[mika1683]

The biggest vicious cycle of my life is that I cant sleep because of anxiety, so next morning I'm drinking cofee or energy drinks and then I cant sleep at night because caffeine makes me even more anxious

The day I get a good sleep habits its over for you bitches (affectionately)

[small-but-mighty]

Getting Dumped

Domestic small animals will NOT survive in the wild. The outdoors is no place for animals that get stressed when their hay is the wrong texture. Unfortunately, when shelters are full, people are overwhelmed, and feel there is no other way out, they take to abandoning their animals outdoors. The worst part about these situations is it's very rarely just one. I have countless stories of this happening, so I'll try to limit it, but I want to share the struggles these animals have gone through because of the actions of people.

In July 2023, numerous rescues found themselves at a rest stop on the side of a highway trapping domestic rabbits. There was probably dozens of them. The RISPCA took in 11 of them. I spent an entire weekend pulling ticks off young rabbits, never mind the fleas I found. The smell of these animals feces was horrible, their stomach flora was all kinds of messed up. That was the healthiest of the bunch. One of the rabbits, had a horrific head tilt, it could not walk straight or even stand up straight. Our vet suspected e. cuniculi. If you are unfamiliar with e. cuniculi, count yourself lucky. It's a parasite, which can affect a rabbit's nervous and renal (kidneys) systems, and if not treated soon enough, the damage it causes can be permanent. The parasite is also contagious to other rabbits through urine, which means that if all these animals were possibly housed together in the past, they all had a chance of contracting the parasite. Unfortunately, the treatment for the rabbit with a head tilt did not work, it was too late, and he passed away. All the other rabbits in our custody had to be treated however, and luckily nobody else began showing symptoms. Now it is unknown if the rabbit had e. cuniculi before being released, but there still is always the possibility that the rabbit contracted the parasite from the wild rabbits that it may have interactions with outside. I would also like to mention that the rabbits were not spayed or neutered, nor were they only a single gender. This means that there may have been even more domestic rabbits that may have been introduced into the elements had rescues not intervened. Following their medical treatments and spay/neuters, all 10 of the rabbits that survived were adopted.

Around the same time that the rabbits were found at the rest stop, someone walked into the shelter with a rabbit in a box. She said the rabbit appeared on her back porch. The rabbit's hind leg was mangled, basically facing the opposite direction of what it should of been... Now we have no way of knowing how or why his leg was that way, but truthfully it doesn't really matter. Our veterinarian opted that it would be best to amputate the leg. Today, the little guy (who we affectionately named Tiny Tim) is healthy, happy, and in his fur-ever home as a happy little tripod!

Both these events were in a span of a weekend. It's a reoccuring event though. To briefly just name a few more:

June 2023, nine female guinea pigs dumped at the end of our shelter driveway after hours

July 2023, forty-two Guinea Pigs dumped in the woods of Exeter

February 2024, seven rabbits dumped at the park in Warwick

This post mostly just address the events of large number dumpings, but even the occurrence of single domestic rabbits being found dumped and being picked up as strays but animals controls are continuing to grow in numbers too. So, please, if you are in a situation where you are not able to care for the animal you own any longer, contact a local shelter as soon as you know you are in that situation. The sooner we know you need help, the sooner we can ensure you get help. And don't just limit your ask for help to one shelter. We are all in this together, ask a few for help, one may be able to help sooner than others. Even if you are in a situation with large numbers, we are not here to punish, we are here to help.

[madamejustice527]

MAX JUST DUMPED MJF!

MAX JUST DUMPED MJF!

MAX JUST DUMPED MJF!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!!!

[techtactical]

cosplaying gabriel where i have the waist but i have to pad the everliving fuck out of the chestplate because i have skinny white boy disease and if i use my exact proportions he'll look like a twink. he's not a twink he's the antithesis to that. i don't want him to look like a wet noodle. the beginning of the journey

[fretbored34]

[mindmattertime]

Question:

If your GF/BF ALWAYS shoves your hands away when you're touching them and then apologizes immediately after snapping at you saying, "I'm just really (insert mood or temperature or illness)... do they actually love you? Even if they beg you not to breakup with them and they say, "I love you"?

I personally think the truth is in the actions, words are just fodder.

I think I'm hated and it hurts. What's worse is I think she actually respects scum bags over me, really gross scum bags too. I'm at a loss..

She has to be cheating. At bare minimum, cheating online. FML...

... I love her though I really do. She is, was my last attempt at having a relationship. I've had a very painful life and if this doesn't work out, I plan to leave this carbon blood sack splattered on a wall and be done with it. That's how I feel now at least. Lead to the head, FTW.

[smbhax]

Ripping SoulCalibur and save file from Japanese GD-ROM and a VMU (actually the 40 block 3rd-party storage in my DC Brook Super Adapter) with DreamShell 4.0 and the DC SD Adapter V2.

[immaculatasknight]

Strong fences make good neighbors

[julieterbang]

[momentsbeforemass]

What are you giving up for Lent?

(for someone who’s focused on the wrong thing)

What are you giving up for Lent?

It’s the classic question as we start Lent.

No matter how we answer it, if our answer feels negative? That means we’ve probably gotten it wrong.

Because when it feels that way, either we’re giving up something that means little to us. We’re following the form of Lent but we’ve lost the substance. We’re just checking another box. And that’s it.

Or we’ve gone too far into the substance - and lost the spirit. Turning it into something that feels more like an off-target version of St. Benedict’s famous advice on Lent – “Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ.”

With the renunciation – the giving-up-for-Lent part – being the focus.

If that’s our understanding of St. Benedict – if we’re giving up something for the sake of giving up something – then we’ve missed the point he’s making.

The renunciations of Lent are never their own end. They are merely a means. A means to something much greater – dumping the things that have come between us and God.

While they may be the spiritual equivalent of filling potholes on our road to God, the renunciations of Lent are not optional.

Not because God’s going to punish you if you don’t give something up for Lent.

But because the right renunciations – dumping the things that have come between you and God – prepares you to receive the good that God wants to do in your life this Lent.

Instead of asking what you’re giving up for Lent, maybe a better question is why?

Today’s Readings

[starrailarchivist]

Miscellaneous:

They have already noticed you…

tried to take a pic of the moment when the stellaron inside mc fucking explodes…

An old friend…

(Herta’s bird is absolutely adorable)

Cool art! Pretty colors!

Fuli being cryptic, Kafka name drop

[thingsdavidlikes]

A plastic (waste) world by imu.imran2020

[lauras-happy-place]

Anyone else feels very irritable when they’re going through stuff? Like I’m so difficult to be around but I feel so upset 24/7 and I don’t know what to do. I got bad health news and I can’t think straight ever since. I feel like life is so evil and unfair. And people want me to be nice and happy? I’m so frustrated all day. I cry at every little thing too and I just can’t pretend that everything’s fine. But others keep telling me to “not to think about it” and just “stop being so sad all the time�� cuz I ruin the mood. “Are you gonna be like this forever now?”

I’m going blind people and I don’t want to deal with or do anything! I am so done with everyone and it feels like no one is taking me seriously. And just as I’m typing this I started tearing up and I have no idea if it’s sadness or frustration and I’m a mess…

But at the same time I know it’s difficult to hear out my problems every time they meet with me and I know they can’t do anything. I also feel bad for being a burden but at the same time, at the top of everything, I’m in no mood to feel also bad about myself. I’m in no mood for lectures. And I’m in no mood to have fun.