Hello friends! Today is release day for Enjoy the Little Things: A Bernese Mountain Dog’s Montana Adventure, a children’s picture book written by Debbie McCrary and illustrated by Savannah Jane McCrary.
Five years ago, we saw a photo online of a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy in Ukraine in need of a home, and we fell in love. Things fell into place, and we brought that positively adorable 7-month-old puppy home in June of 2021. Her Ukrainian name was Bulochka, and we decided to keep it the same. Bulochka was a bit traumatized after being separated from her Ukrainian family and then going on a very long flight to the United States. But she warmed up to Mama right away. Now, five years later, Bulochka still wants to follow Mama everywhere, but she’s no longer the scared puppy we met at the San Francisco airport. Bulochka loves her life in Montana. Her favorite things to do are go on walks and hikes in the woods. She also loves picking huckleberries, going to the lake, and tagging along on whatever adventures our family heads out on. My family and I are convinced she’s one of the best dogs in the world. In fact, we love her so much that we’ve kept three of her puppies!
Writing a children’s book of Bulochka’s story has been a dream of Debbie’s for several years now. But it’s not just the story of a dog coming from Ukraine to Montana. This children’s book is a reminder for all of us–young and old–to “enjoy the little things” and remember that “life is beautiful.”
How often do we get so busy, rushing around from one thing to the next, and forget to stop and “enjoy the little things”?
A sunrise or sunset.
The beauties of nature–trees and grass and flowers and mountains and wildlife.
A cup of tea (or coffee, if that’s what you prefer.)
Good food.
A conversation with a family member or friend.
Yes, there’s darkness and suffering in this world. But there’s still so much beauty to be found, too!
May we not get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life or weighed down by the darkness of the world, that we forget to stop and savor the beauties of life!
“We see the glory of God when we delight in, reflect upon, and enjoy the world He has created.” -Thomas Shreiner
“It is not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.” –Charles Spurgeon
It was also neat that this was a mother-daughter project for Debbie and Savannah, and Savannah’s dog, Brielle, is the daughter of Debbie’s dog, Bulochka, the dog whom this book is about!
The illustrations are based on photos of our family’s Montana adventures and created entirely by hand.
Here are a few of the photos alongside the illustrations:
The book is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers. And we’re also selling signed copies on our online store!
(And if you pre-ordered the book on Kickstarter, thank you so much, and your copy will be arriving soon!)
Well, we hope you enjoyed that little peek behind the scenes and reminder to “enjoy the little things”!
-The McCrary family
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