Mr. Wilson Made it Home!

Mr. Wilson Made it Home!
Mr. Wilson

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Tenth Anniversary Macoll-Johnson Fellowship

Shortly after I decided to write Mr. Wilson Makes it Home I was awarded The Macoll-Johnson Fellowship from the Rhode Island Foundation. The fellowship allowed me to devote the time necessary to create as good a book as I was capable of writing.

2015 marks the tenth anniversary of the scholarships, and I was asked if i would like to participate in a story about the people that have benefited from the award. It was the least I could do.

Thank you Robert and Margaret Macoll-Johnson and the Rhode Island Foundation!

http://www.rifoundation.org/InsidetheFoundation/OurBlog/TabId/106/PostId/184/the-maccoll-johnson-fellowships-celebrating-ten-years.aspx




Saturday, January 17, 2015

Electric



We take care of things. That is what we do best. Sometimes, as life moves forward at it's relentless pace we forget to take care of ourselves, and the ones closest  to us. There is simply too much to do to worry about little things like, "am I okay?"

It seems like all of a sudden everything slows down, and what we have built doesn't seem like all that much. In our little kingdoms of things the most important possession we have is never something that can be touched, measured, given away or sold. What matters most is the relationships we forge as we move along life's journey.

 We may be able to touch and hold the physical forms that we share our world with, but a body is an empty vessel until infused with thoughts and feelings, acceptance and love. The best way to fill that vessel is by sharing ourselves with another person or animal. It is miraculous when given a chance  how electric the connection between two living creatures becomes, building in current, taking on enough energy to feed an empty soul with the nourishment needed to become fully alive.

Feeling a little empty? Don't waste another second! Connect with somebody. Nurture a friendship that is losing steam. Adopt a pet, Take charge of the relationships in your life. Without you, there can be no connection. Without connections, things fall apart. We are all in this together, so reach out and touch someone!




We sat outside, Mr. Wilson and I while Cheryl got lunch ready, and I was able to sit on an Adirondack chair in my new backyard that seemed like mine for the first time in years, fully content and happy to simply watch my new friend wander around his new home. Whether or not he realized he was here to stay I do not know, but I like to believe that at some instinctual level he knew, and he relaxed a little, and knew that his days of wandering were over. I closed my eyes and looked toward the sun, feeling the warmth, knowing that winter was over, and spring would soon give way to summer, and I had everything I had ever wanted. Living a life beyond my wildest dreams became a reality once I learned to appreciate the small things, and my dreams became grounded in reality, and that reality when seen, and felt and experienced honestly, taking time to use all five senses; seeing the beauty of a little dog chasing bugs in my yard, hearing the chatter of birds as their yearly mating season reaches its climax, feeling the sun on the skin of my face, arms and hands, warming me emotionally and physically, smelling the faint traces of spring, the earth has its own aroma that changes with the seasons, even winter, but spring is by far the most fragrant, and tasting…well, nothing there yet, but lunch was on the way!
     Smack dab it the middle of my happy to be alive moment an assault on each and every one of my senses appeared. I felt before I saw a twelve pound weight on my chest, then in vivid detail the memory of each and every hamster I have ever known came flooding back as the nostalgic wood shaving aroma filled my space, and I tasted dirt on my lips as Mr. Wilson frantically licked my face, and I heard myself laughing, really laughing, belly laughing, laughing like I haven’t laughed in years, laughing so hard my face muscles hurt.
     We had found home, Wilson and me, and it was a good, honest place, a place where laughter came easily. I felt Cheryl watching us from inside the house, and felt her smile as well. It had been a long time between belly laughs for both of us, and the little creature who Cheryl had introduced into our lives was already making our lives better.


Friday, January 9, 2015

They Listen

What if those quiet observers of our lives could speak,
would we like what they have to say?
they see us at our worst,
and watch as we pick our noses
and listen when we shout.

they see the people behind the masks
we wear when we leave them,
and watch us take them off when we return.
they like us anyway, with all of our weirdness
that nobody else gets to see.

They don't know how to play the game
that we do so well
they just sit, and stay and wait for us
never asking for much more than a a little love
some attention, and a cookie now and then.

If they could turn their barks and howls
into thoughts and words
they wouldn't give advice or lectures
or tell us how to be better people
They would simply say, I love you.
again and again.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Signed Copies of Mr. Wilson Makes it Home

Signed copies of Mr. Wilson Makes it Home available here for a limited time, thank you for ordering!







Some reviews:

"Mr Wilson Makes It Home is an enjoyable story that touches on far more than training; it helps us understand just how important sharing our lives with our pets is and how best to get the most of every moment we spend with them." —Zak George, Animal Planet dog trainer and producer of YouTube's #1 Dog Training show "Zak George's Dog Training Revolution"

"Reading Mr. Wilson Makes It Home was not like reading a book at all—it was like having lunch with Michael Morse. And now that I have finished the book, I find myself missing him, his wife, and of course Mr. Wilson! I wish I could walk next door and see them again. This is a wonderful story of puppy love, adoption, the importance of spay and neutering, and of course falling in love with Mr. Wilson. Anyone who has ever had a dog and who is an animal lover will love this book." —Ellie Laks, author of My Gentle Barn

“A gentle book that grows more powerful with each chapter. Adopting a rescue dog can help transform your life into a thing of beauty you can be proud of, simply by changing the way you think. As you turn the pages, Mr. Wilson and his unforgettably resilient humans will sneak inside your heart and teach you how to live again—even while they ‘love you up!’” —Martin McKenna, author of The Boy Who Talked to Dogs

"This is a heartwarming story written with passion and love. Michael Morse is a gifted writer and an amazing storyteller." —Michael Corrente, award-winning film director and producer

"Mr. Wilson Makes It Home tells the story of how one little dog can turn a troubled home into a good one. Morse bares his soul in this moving tale and, in the process, stumbles upon solutions to issues that long tethered his life to heartache, illustrating again the benefit of the love that only pets can contribute to our lives. This book highlights the opportunity to save the lives of rescue dogs across the country and holds out hope that, in so doing, our own lives will improve." —Bruce R. Coston, DVM, author of Ask the Animals and The Gift of Pets

About the Authors:

 Michael Morse is a retired firefighter who received the Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowship from the Rhode Island Foundation this past year. He is the author of Rescuing Providence and Responding as well as numerous essays. He is a monthly columnist on the websites Fire Engineering and EMS World. He resides in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Cheryl Morse lives in Rhode Island with her family, owns a local business, and enjoys taking care of the people and animals in her life that depend on her.



Who's the Boss?

Jack comes to visit, all seventy pounds of him. He's just a pup, and his clumsy feet trample poor old Mr. Wilson. Wilson doesn't mind much, he gets crushed into the soft grass, rolls over, lifts his head and raises the little stub of a tail and gets right back to being in charge.

It's a never ending game that dogs play with each other, and with us humans. Every moment that they spend
with another being is spent asserting dominance or submitting to the will of another. What we perceive as a need for affection when our dogs lick us or jump on us is actually the dog's way of asserting dominance over us. By marking us with their scent they have, in their minds, taken control of us. It's up to us to take it back.

When Mr. Wilson lifts his head, even though he is just a little squirt, he is taking charge. By raising his tail he is telling Jack, with his scent that we cannot sense, but other dogs certainly can, that he is the head honcho, and the games will be going his way, or no way!

Once the dogs and humans figure out who is in charge, everybody can relax, and get on with the business of the day, which besides taking and giving control includes a lot of running and jumping and wrestling and fun. Dinner time is a whole different set of who's the boss maneuverings, and a great time to let the dogs know who is really in charge.

Us!