#RecipeForMoments: I am Ma's Sunshine

There are many special moments in the life of a dog.  Some of those moments happen by chance, others you create for yourself and a few are a combination of both.  I am especially fond of the latter because in those moments, we dogs can truly shine. 

I am going to tell you about a recent moment as part of the Nature's Recipe® Recipe for Moments campaign.

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, 
always bring your own sunshine.

--Anthony J. D'Angelo

As many of you know, the weather during my recent camping trip was nothing to brag about.  It was chilly and damp with intermittent rain for the entire four day weekend.  Everything felt wet - the ground, the clothes, the toilet paper in the restroom. 

Needless to say, Ma and Daddy-dog were disappointed.  Everybody was thinking the same things:  why does it have to rain this weekend; how can we hike or canoe in this weather; should we pack it in and head home?

The first night Ma cooked a fabulous dinner - one of her best yet - and we all went to sleep early, hoping for a bit of sunshine the next day.  Unfortunately, when daytime came it was another gray and cloudy day.  But I was undeterred!  Day 2 in camp is my favorite day - hiking day - and I was anxious to get going. 

Every dog knows that when the sky is gray, you just need to bring your own sunshine; we carry it in our hearts and you can see it in our eyes and our smiles.  That's why we love walking in all kinds of weather.  We bring our own sunshine so we can see the beauty in everything.  Unfortunately, our humans don't always have their own sunshine to bring but we dogs always have enough to share!

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.  

--Charlotte Whitton

I walked with Ma all day; we ended up hiking almost 5 miles.  Each time the weather would act up, I took the lead so I could get Ma's mind off the weather and on to all the natural beauty the park had to offer.  We strengthened our bond during these special moments.

From the dock, we could see wading birds across the river.  The sound of the water gently lapping against the dock was calming.  Ma and I had a quick snuggle.

After walking through the wet hardwood hammocks, we discovered a beach complete with a palm tree and fish swimming in the water.  I claimed it as our little oasis and marked our territory accordingly.

Then we found another oasis: the Tomoka Outpost which housed the camp store and the restrooms.  Everybody was happy about that.  BOL

I lead everyone to another beach which was made up of all kinds of crushed shells.  It was really pretty.  Ma found little fish in the water and pointed them out to me.  I gave them a quick sniff and got a snout full of water which made Ma laugh.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

It turns out we all had a great hike that day despite the weather.  We found the one spot in all the hardwood hammock where the birds were hanging out including some pileated woodpeckers (they are so cool).  We found several other little beaches where the river waters were calm.  We even saw tracks from raccoons, deer, armadillos and bobcats!

Everyone was happy that we ventured out in the rain...even Ma.  Ma whispered to me as we high fived the whole walk back to our campsite:  "You happy dog...you are always my sunshine".

Ma says that's why she loves taking me as many places as she can.  She says I have finally taught her how to bring her own sunshine...she just needs to bring ME!

Are you somebody's sunshine?  Do you have a Recipe for Moments you would like to share?

This post is sponsored by Nature’s Recipe® on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Nature’s Recipe For Moments on behalf of Nature’s Recipe, but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. Nature’s Recipe is not responsible for the content of this article.

Our story is a part of the #RecipeForMoments blog hop hosted by BlogPaws.  Link up below to share your story of the bond you and your pet share.  What do you think your pet feels in your special moments?  Five random U.S. winners who link up their blog post will win a Nature’s Recipe® lightweight collar camera to capture special moments from their pet’s point of view. See BlogPaws for official rules and details.