Giving Thanks!  November has arrived, and Thanksgiving will soon be here.  As I started to write a few things down about what we here at LCAL are thankful for, the word ‘thanks’ just didn’t seem enough. I mean I say thanks to whoever holds a door open for me without even thinking or genuinely feeling thankful … it is just automatic.  At the bottom of my emails there is always a ‘Thanks’.  I was just brought up that way and it is the polite thing to do.  So, I decided to dig a bit deeper and then it came to me – gratitude.

Dictionary – noun: gratitude

  1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

Yes, this is what I am looking for! The word alone seems to have deeper meaning and sincerity.

Harvard Medical School says gratitude is

 “a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives … As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature, or a higher power

Now we are talking.  As an LCAL volunteer and board member I am grateful for so many things.  First, our volunteers and staff who make all this stuff happen.  Most of our volunteers work full-time, have families plus their own dogs but still find time to help with all the different tasks needed to operate a dog rescue.  Our thrift store has had a good year and has helped financially support our Adoption Center and we appreciate all the donations that have been dropped off.  We were very excited in June to be able to sign another long-term lease so that we could continue to have the Adoption Center as our home base for the rescue.  We are grateful for all the wonderful families that have adopted LCAL dogs, especially our dogs that might need continued medical care or need some behavioral work.  Some families have opened their hearts to bring a senior dog into their home and this will bring smiles and heartfelt thanks from everyone involved.

We appreciate the veterinarians and staff at VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital who support our mission by continuing to provide top notch medical care for our dogs.  We are very grateful for our donors and supporters because we simply could not do this without you.  Whether it is a financial donation, a donation to the thrift store, sharing a Facebook post of an adoptable dog, spreading the word about our organization, or attending a Fundraiser, it is all important.

How will we, at LCAL, show our gratitude?  We will continue to do the very best we can to help dogs in need.  We will take care of their medical needs, provide food and shelter, work on training and manners, and give them love and affection until they find their forever home.

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

With gratitude,

Board of Directors, Last Chance At Life Rescue

By:  Robbin Muller, Treasurer