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Raoul’s Two Cents: February 13, 2026

How Much is That Doggie in the Window?

If you don’t want to ponder, move on to the Jokes.

Our dog Tonka swallowed an avocado seed the size of a ping pong ball. He needed an operation because this silly mistake would block his intestine and lead to a painful death. The procedure would be very expensive. What to do?

MANY QUESTIONS

Isn’t it strange how the perception of our pets shift from joyful affection to serious dollar amounts when their lives depend on the money in our bank? How much is a pet’s life worth? Do you save its life no matter the cost? By what standards do we measure life? Is a Great Dane worth more than a chihuahua? A pound of cheese is cheaper than a pound of gold. In the 1630s, a bulb of tulip was worth more than a house. Obviously, life isn’t measured by the measurable metrics. What then?

HUMAN WORTH

To go beyond pets, isn’t it insulting that pet life may be more valuable than human life? Admit it. I’m sure you can name a few people who you’d blast off the face of the earth for free. How do we justify spending thousands of dollars on a pet instead of say … a child suffering with cancer or supporting a starving missionary out in Timbuktu?

Let’s go even further. Do we measure people by their attire, their weight, their gender, their ability to speak, their achievements, their athleticism, their beauty, their skin color? How about a smile? Is the Mona Lisa’s smile worth more than the arm of a baseball pitcher?

Do you look at people with dollar signs and opportunities? What can you get from this person? What’s in it for you to waste your time on this person? What’s your ROI (Return on investment)?

I passed by a homeless woman yesterday. She sat on a discarded sofa on the side of an alley. She was reed thin and dirty but she had put on makeup and lit a cigarette. You could tell she was overjoyed to find a soft comfy couch. I had compassion for her yet I didn’t want to engage because homeless people are supposed to be addicts and mentally ill. Would you have done the same? Is this an excuse?

Each day we face uncomfortable decisions. So many questions. No definitive answers.

WHAT’S YOUR PRICE?

Perhaps the most important question to ask: how much are YOU worth? Is it relative? — and I don’t mean your value to your relatives. When you are depressed and suicidal and the question of your existence comes to the table, please don’t rely on your emotions, it can be fatal. Remember, you are a child of God. Your inherent worth is probably so much greater than you think it is.

To paraphrase my friend, Professor Warren Lamb’s wisdom, he said: “while we may be undeserving of any good thing, deserving and worthy are two very different things. To be deserving of something means we earned it. But worth is not about doing but being and refers to the inherent essence of something.” The inherent precious value of gold doesn’t change simply because it’s covered in mud.

For a Christian like me, I start my assessment from Christ’s perspective (at least I try to). I believe He died for our sins. He died for the homeless woman. Why? Because, muddy or not, we all have inherent worth. The price tag we carry says we are God’s children and Christ considered us worthy enough to die for. When someone is willing to die for you, it isn’t as simple as dedicating a song to somebody on the radio. It means a whole lot more than that. It involves patience, pain and suffering. The grace that you receive comes from the sacrifice of someone else.

As for Tonka, we’re a little poorer because we decided to pay for the ransom — I mean the “operation.” I apologize for my serious tone today. Blame it on Tonka. Tonka may never fully understand the sacrifice we made so that he could live another day but it doesn’t matter. We gave it just the same. We decided his inherent worth was much more than the cost of an operation.

I can hear the Soup Nazi say to Tonka: “No more avocado soup for you!”

Of course, this is just me.

Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow! Time to give our hearts away! TGIF People!

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Quotes of the Week

“If you don’t know your own worth and value, then don’t expect someone else to calculate it for you.” — Anonymous

“Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the ‘gotta have it’ scale.” — Zig Ziglar

“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.” — Anonymous

“In order to insult me, I must first value your opinion … nice try though.” — Anonymous

“Each and every person — no matter what they have or have not done — has inherent worth because each and every one of us is created in God’s image (imago dei).” — Warren Lamb, from his book Unbound.

“Judge your worth and value by what God says about you in His Word, not by how somebody else treats you.” — Ephesians 2:4-10

“You have been bought with a price.” — 1 Corinthians 6:20

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, California.

Parting Shots

Thanks to James of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Fred of Long Beach, CA

Thanks to Jennifer of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Bev of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

Got any good jokes? Come share it with rest of us!

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