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The Dog Days of Summer are Now

Share Your Pet Photos!

Who knew? The “Dog Days of Summer” have nothing to do with dogs. Traditionally running for 40 days from July 3 to August 11, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac, we’re smack in the middle of the “Dog Days of Summer” now. 

At this time of year the Earth’s axis tilts the Northern Hemisphere directly toward the Sun, causing our hottest, most sweltering days of summer.

“Dog Days of Summer” is a direct translation of the Latin dies caniculares or "days of the dog star,” referring to the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius.  Because it’s part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog, Sirius is nicknamed the Dog Star.

Email Your Favorite Pet Photos!

“Dog Days of Summer” really does sound like it’s about dogs even if it isn’t. That’s according to the multi-billion-dollar pet industry and pet lovers alike. Starting now with YOU, Crossroads is joining the vibrant pet photo social media “Dog Days of Summer” community. 

Follow These Easy Instructions:

• Email your favorite, posed or candid pet photos or have a photo shoot with your pet with multiple photos that illustrate the “Dog Days of Summer.”
• No need to give the pets all the limelight, we welcome you to pose with your pet.
• Email your photos to photos@crossroadshospice.com.
• Please share your pet’s name, breed, and any fun facts.

According to the American Pet Products Association 95 million U.S. households own a pet. If you’re one of them and would like to share how photogenic your pet is during the “Dog Days of Summer,” we hope to receive your photos at photos@crossroadshospice.com any time in the month of August! Until then, we hope you and your pets stay cool.

The Fluency of Grief and Time

"You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life." — Dame Cicely Saunders

By Danny Gutknecht
In 2017 I went to Crossroads Cincinnati to learn about the business of hospice. The bereavement director and I ended up in a two-hour conversation about grief. Something he said stuck: "People walk around with untreated grief all the time. It's like having a broken leg and never getting it reset."

At the time this made a lot of sense. That was before.

I don't think you ever mend the break. Grief is different. I don't think you disentangle it, it’s better worked with, rather than through. The psyche doesn't forget these things. Love doesn’t seem to forget. We might learn distance and numbness. But we also learn the power of closeness.

And while I am sure there is a fear of death for some, as the academics claim, but it seems to me to be more about love. Particularly, the depth of love, and the different kinds of it.  Somebody told me Sanskrit has 96 words for love, if it does I'm sure each one forges a different shape in every relationship. And I am also sure 96 words are just a start. Piglet asked Pooh how you spell love. "You don't spell it," Pooh said. "You feel it."

But grief is an encounter in the forging of time.

Grief researchers point out that we hold the people we love in three dimensions—space, time, and closeness. And all of those elements are tightly woven into our entire neural system. When we lose someone, space becomes memory–but love keeps walking, with our own march of time, and closeness is a choice we have to struggle with. It's why, in grief we can still see that person dancing in the living room, or we can hear their laugh.

Time matters—how we spend it, here, while we're alive. It's a meditation that's been with me since I was very young, and every industry I've worked in, what to do in time is a choice everyone deals with. Jim Collins, in "What to Make of a Life," argues that many people—not all—do their best, most impactful work in their 60s, 70s, even 80s. Tend your fire, he says, and you can burn brighter than you did young. It's worth noting he's over 60.

So many talk about the future, what we need to do as we hand things over to future generations. It seems like the way to do that is by helping those who have lived before us, those we have loved, continue living, learning and loving.

Half of us Americans have already lived half our lives; another quarter are in the last of theirs. As long as we live, we have a flame. The only question is whether we stoke the fire, do the work we were meant to do—or, let it dwindle.

Let’s Get Fit! Financially Fit!

Do you feel financially fit—or do you find yourself struggling with discipline and promising you will “start again tomorrow?” If so, it might be time for a financial wellness coach. Well, aren’t you lucky? We have just the coach for you!

My Benefits Work offers Financial Wellness at no cost to all Crossroads full-time employees. Whether you are getting married, expecting a baby, buying a home, or going back to school, Financial Wellness provides experienced certified financial counselors who can guide you through life’s biggest transitions. 

Are you looking for articles, videos, worksheets, or checklists to help you navigate your financial journey? Using your smartphone, tablet, or computer, you can choose a topic and instantly explore a library of helpful content - all within the easy-to-use My Benefits Work app under Financial Wellness.

In a constantly changing financial world, Financial Wellness is here to help. Need tips on budgeting, reducing debt, or improving your credit? You have direct access—literally at your fingertips—to live financial counselors who can provide personalized support.

Whether you’re planning for retirement, saving for education, or simply budgeting for groceries, Financial Wellness is a fantastic free resource to help you build confidence and clarity around your money. 

Financial fitness may feel like a lofty goal, but with Financial Wellness on your side, you’ll be flexing some strong financial muscles in no time. 

Make sure you have downloaded the free My Benefits Work app to your iPhone or Android device and complete registration. It’s quick and easy – then this generous resource is yours to use anytime. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to HR or visit your benefits website at www.mycrossroadsbenefits.com for more information.