Surprise!

My cat had a nightmare, I think. Our cat usually sleeps through the many noises around her. Despite the blaring television and rattling dishes, she keeps on snoozing. One day during nap time, she jumped up into the scary hunched back position. She stared at us, jumped to the floor, and ambled away as if nothing happened. Maybe she dreamed about an encounter with the neighborhood dog. Cats are full of surprises.   

There are pleasant surprises and downright awful ones. Here’s a surprise this young man didn’t anticipate:  

                                         https://youtu.be/n4mznkHDMGk

Active military soldiers and their families deserve heartwarming surprise reunions, and much more. What sort of surprise would give you joy?  



Modified & reprinted from Nov. 2013

A Whistle, A Siren, And A Waltz?

I’m sitting on the couch anticipating the shriek. I barely get a warning. One minute I’m waiting, and the next minute a squeal pierces the silence. I leap up and grab the tea kettle from the stove, hoping to prevent the whistling from waking the rest of the family.

Have you ever noticed how easily situations can catch you off-guard? For instance, picture yourself driving through your community enjoying the serenity of a sunny day. Before you know it, a wailing police car’s siren warns you to move to the side of the road. If you’re fortunate, the car speeds by to deal with a crisis that doesn’t involve you. We expect some events, like weddings, to progress in predictable ways. We think we know what’s coming next, except in cases like this:

                                         http://youtu.be/qJ0ndF5G6iU

Ha! Bet you didn’t anticipate that kind of performance. Now that’s a wedding moment the guests will never forget. Even common events like whistling kettles, wailing sirens and a waltzing father and daughter can catch us off-guard.  Sometimes ordinary situations change and topple our natural expectations.  What has surprised you?          

Surprise!

My cat had a nightmare, I think. Our cat usually sleeps through the many noises around her. Despite the blaring television and rattling dishes, she keeps on snoozing. One day during nap time, she jumped up into the scary hunched back position. She stared at us, jumped to the floor, and ambled away as if nothing happened. Maybe she dreamed about an encounter with the neighborhood dog. Cats are full of surprises.   

There are pleasant surprises and downright awful ones. Here’s a surprise this young man didn’t anticipate:

                                              http://youtu.be/n4mznkHDMGk

 Active military soldiers and their families deserve heartwarming surprise reunions, and much more. What sorts of surprises have you experienced?