I walk my two very large dogs in Pine Park almost daily, and I am aware that majority of the Jewish population are very afraid of dogs. However, what I see in that park just warms my heart.
Families having picnics, family dinner and children all playing together. The children are usually amazed with my dogs and follow me around for a bit and some even want stop to say hi to them. Dakota and Thunder are my only children and it brings such joy to me to have the children show an interest and many of them although scared like to get a close look.
Recently, I had one very beautiful young lady actually come pet my Dakota (husky and the smaller one). Dakota always gets so excited when someone pays attention to her. This girl was scared, but she knew exactly how to approach a dog and my Dakota just (for once) sat calmly while she got pet her.
What I was trying to say is that it is so nice to see families enjoying family time, picnics in parks and children playing in a park and not in front of a TV or video game. People on these social medias have a whole bunch to say about others, but they neglect to see that so many of us have lost true family values and traditions, that of which is maintained by the Jewish community.
We should all take a good look at ourselves and remember what it was like. I sometimes wish I had family that I could share those types of memories with; till then…I look forward to spending my time at the park watching what family is all about.
Sincerely,
Dakota and Thunder’s Mom.
Debbie Gil,
Jackson.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
Debbi, thanks for noticing what so many in our society don’t allow their prejudices to appreciate. No person or community is perfect but everyone has somethings which are good that we can learn from and other things that we should silently pray they better themselves at. You have taught a nice lesson for the rest to follow.
Very nice of you to recognize wat we try to thrive in…spending quality time with family and try to be respectful to all humans in and out of our circles thnx alot for the nice words….ps sorry were scared of dogs…
NIce to hear a wonderful comment from someone in Jackson about the religious community. thanks .
I love DOGS. Especially big yeller ones. Don’t know why so many people in Lakewood are scared of them.
Debbie, sometimes it takes an outsider like yourself to help us appreciate what we have. Thank you so much for the beautiful article
Debbie
Beautiful observation
I was attacked by a dog when I was little which is why I’m scared of en til today .
Hope you don’t get offended
Debbie,
Thank you for reminding me of what I have to be so proud of. As another commenter above mentioned; at times we need an outsider to point out some things we take for granted. Yes, orthodox Jews have an amazing family life for the most part. As for the dogs, my kids happen to love dogs! I have no idea where they came from 🙂 as I, having grown up in our little enclave in Brooklyn where dogs are uncommon and as such I definitely cannot say I love dogs. Sorry! Thanks again for your inspiring words.
Debbie, Thank you for writing this beautiful article about your observations of our community. I used to picnic with my children when they were still young and living at home. Now I sometimes picnic with my adult children and grandchildren. I am not afraid of dogs or other animals and always encouraged my children to like animals and be interested in nature and indeed they still are and are passing that on to their children.
thanks debbie! nice article!
So well written. After this long, long, winter, it’s refreshing to see all the kids back playing (riding bikes, hokey, baseball) in our cul-de-sac after school instead of sitting in front of the tv or computer. May be why they’re in such good shape (healthy). My dogs can be scary to some, and I can’t blame them. I know they would never hurt anyone, and they do look out for trouble in our neighborhood. Most of the kids get a “kick” out of them. Have a great summer!
Thank you debbie for writing a beautiful letter. Rarely do i see on social media or blogs a positive written letter, usually its either complaining, harassing, bullying etc. Just letting you know that your letter is appreciated even thought there may be less comments then a negative post gets.
Regarding the dogs, i happen to love dogs especial big fluffy ones, even though i was lightly bitten by a dog as a kid.
Thank you, Debbi for your kind words. It is often hard for people to see past others’ prejudices or the general worldview. I, too, enjoy the family-orientedness and wholesome venues of entertainment in our circles. Thank you for noticing and for reminding us as well.
Nice article! Thank you.
Debbie – nicely written article. Enjoyed reading it.
NIce to hear something nice about the people in Lakewood from someone from Jackson…….
Thank you for your beautiful article. I enjoy walking inthe park every morning, every day. Regarding your beautiful dogs. As a child I was very frightened of dogs. And I’m not especially fond of dogs. The reason I think is my Mother was a Holocaust survivor, she was very frightened of German shepards, and I think that is how I got the fear of dogs. So please understand why some people have this fear. Thank you again for your article