God is still God...still my Refuge

Not quite ten years after the Lord brought a chubby, wiggly chocolate lab into my life as a gift to heal my heart after losing my black lab,

my precious boy has gone back to Heaven to be back with Jesus.

We said goodbye yesterday. After a bout with cancer, and surgeries, and too much time at the vet, it was time to let my sweet boy go to sleep and wake up in Heaven.

My heart is broken. I am devastated. He was my best friend. You couldn't ask for a more loyal, happy, sweet dog.

I feel weak today. Broken in too many places. Life hurts too much sometimes.

But God is still in control. And He is still good. And He is still my Lord, no matter what pain this life sends my way.

And right now, maybe Jesus is teaching my dog to finally walk on a leash, and running with his big sister in great fields of wild flowers, chasing butterflies, no longer in pain, happy and free and silly as ever.

I love you, Sweetboy. You loved me. You showed me what unconditional love really is, and for that I will always be grateful.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

We Can Learn a Lot from Dogs... and Little Boys

I received this in an e-mail, and just had to pass it on because I'm a dog-lover. You may have seen it before, but it's definitely worth another read:

A Dog's Purpose? (From a 6-year-old)
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer.

I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,'' People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The Six-year-old continued,' Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply.Love generously.
Care deeply.Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.Thrive on attention and let people touch you.Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

She is still on my mind

http://www.freewebs.com/sophiegirl/index.htm

How to Handle Life According to My Pets

I have been extremely frustrated with the world, with people and with myself the past week or so. Even more so the past couple of days. I "fret" a lot. I'm trying so hard to learn to trust God, to let things go into His capable hands, and to let go. When I asked God in prayer "What do you want me to do!? (about all this going on)" His answer only was: "Let me do it." Which follows along with earlier things I have heard from God the past 7 months: "Wait". "You don't have to fight so hard." Oh how I like to fight and try to do everything for myself, exhausted as I am.



My pets, however; they have such a great way to handle everything. They are experts in handling life. The following pictures are examples of exactly how my pets handle everything from me telling them "I'm worried about my future" to "I'm scared no one at my new school is going to like me" to "I think my milk has gone bad" to "I can't find anything around this house!"




My chocolate lab's answer to everything: I'll lay here in front of the door and keep the outside world from getting in. Don't worry... I'll protect you from everything.












My Great Pyrenees: Sleep cures everything so go take a nap. Just don't come in here with me. This is MY spot.

The cat: Lets lick the Bible and see if that gives us any answers ;)

My 145 pound Newfoundland puppy: Let's just sleep it off. Don't worry about it.

My Border Collie: "Problem? What problem!?Let's play ball! "

Lessons from my little buddy

I have a little friend that I visit as often as I can. I have a picture of me

last year with him. You can't see him very well because he's behind the fence, but he is a small black dog. Through this little hole where a slat is missing in the fence in his owner's yard is how we have built our entire relationship in the past couple of years. I met him when taking a walk to the park one day.

I don't know his name but I call him "Puppy" or "Buddy". Secretly, I take him dog biscuits, toys, and the occassional towel to use as a blanket. His owner probably has no idea where these mysterious things come from. I'd probably be surprised if I ever found out his real name. For some reason, "Buddy" suits him best to me; if I found out his real name was Goliath or something, that'd be hard to wrap my mind around.

Even though our contact is limited by how far I can reach into his fence, this little guy has become an important part of my life. I know he looks forward to me visiting. He waits for me; he listens for my voice when my husband and I are out for walks. When he hears me talking, we see his little black nose stick as far out the fence as it will reach. He's always glad to see me--something I appreciate because I often feel unwanted and unappreciated-- and he always jumps around for me, greeting me with great enthusiasm whether I have cookies for him or not. He's just glad to see me. He's just glad I'm me. My husband says that if he goes for a walk without me, the puppy isn't nearly so enthusiastic about his greetings; he'll lick my husband's hand politely, but I'm the one he's looking for.

Its with this little puppy that I not only feel wanted, but I also keep my word. He is lonely and in need of company. My little gifts to him, and especially my time of talking to him through the fence and my thrice-weekly visits (more often if I can help it) mean a lot to him. And whenever its time for me to go I tell him, "I'll be back-- I'm coming back." I know how important it is to be able to count on someone to keep their word-and how devastating it is when they don't keep it. This year after someone stopped keeping their word to me, I started saying to Buddy, "I mean it-- I'm coming back. I promise." I do keep my word. Times when I wanted to give up, I remind myself: I have given my word to people to not give up. I have told this puppy I am coming back to visit him, and I must; I've told him so. He's waiting for me. He's counting on me.

I've never been able to hold this little guy or do more than scratch his tummy, but he's taught me some good lessons.

1) Show people that you're happy they are there. Even if all they can offer you is a scratch on the tummy because they forgot to bring you a cookie. So, maybe you won't go around licking people's hands, but a simple 'thanks' goes a long way too.

2) Keep your word to people. No matter what. If you say you're going to be there, be there. Don't make excuses like its raining (yes, I visit him in the rain) or I don't know what to do with you anymore or I forgot about you or well I didn't think you wanted to hear from me anymore.

The puppy is always waiting for me. I told him I was going to be there. He doesn't want to hear excuses.

3) Make time for things that other people don't notice. I think the reason this puppy loves me so much is because dozens of other people walk by his little hole in the fence every day on the path that leads to the park. But one day, I stopped when I saw this little nose sticking out. Because of that little kindness that one day, he has given me his endless love.