Most people wouldn't think of me as a "dog person". Actually, I really like dogs! This sweet dog above was my childhood buddy, Trixie. She was a wonderful dog that was a part of ALL of my childhood memories. One of my very first memories when I was 3 years old was the day that my dad brought Trixie home in a cardboard box. She was just a little puppy and she ran around in circles. She was always part of my family. That metal box she is in was her bed for as long as she was with us. I also remember well the day my mom took Trixie to the vet to end her suffering. She was an almost unbelievable 19 years old. She had some kind of cancer, probably stomach cancer. Even in this picture you can see that her muzzle is gray. This picture was taken when she was about 15 years old. She was such a great dog. My mom had trained her to stay in the kitchen on the tile floors when she was a puppy. And until the day she left us, she NEVER went in to the bedrooms. There were times when we tried to coax her into the living room and she would stand at the door but never cross off of the tile. She was great in the car and would just sleep on the floor below my feet. I don't remember a time that she sat on the seat. Oh how she loved the Lake! It was truly her favorite place. When we were about 30 miles from the lake she would sit up and start to sniff the air. It was as if she could smell the lake! We never had her on a chain or confined at the Lake. She had freedom to run. She would go up in the woods and explore and her favorite spot was under the trees watching the squirrels. They would stay just out of her reach and chatter at her! It was a great game. At the lake her bed was a cardboard box under the couch. Trixie was a great dog!
I've been thinking about Trixie today because of a very noisy, barking, jumping dog that lives next to the new house where I work. This little dog was barking and jumping for most of the morning. From inside of the house, I couldn't really tell WHERE the noise was coming from. It was only when I went outside that I saw that the BIG noise was coming from a very SMALL dog. But that little dog got me thinking about a wonderful part of my childhood. And also, a somewhat sad part of Gwen and Doug's childhood.
This is Sheba. Ken and I bought her from a pet store shortly after we moved into our house. She was so little and she reminded me of Trixie. Gwen loved Sheba. They would run around and around the circle pattern in our house. And Gwen would laugh and laugh. Sheba was a good dog. But shortly after Doug was born he began to suffer from continuous ear infections, then lung infections, and urinary infections. And then he started to have serious allergic reactions. The doctor suggested that we remove all the things that could be the triggers of these allergies. And the dog was first and most obvious. So we decided that it would be better for Sheba to go to another family. Gwen often talks about the day that Ken took Sheba away. She stood at the kitchen window and waved goodbye. I am sure that she would have gotten rid of Doug rather than Sheba. Even though now when Doug owns two dogs, it seems like a mistake we made, I know that there was a purpose in that decision. Over the next 5 years, having a dog would have been very difficult. With Doug's many hospitalizations, I don't know how we would have cared for a dog!
So, tonight I am celebrating that Gwen now has a wonderful dog and Doug now has two wonderful dogs! And I am also so thankful for both Trixie and Sheba. I love that the Holy Spirit reminds us of the special ways that Jesus blesses our families - even when that reminder comes in the form of a very noisy neighbor dog. In looking back at Trixie, I can see how she was a faithful and obedient friend, and companion. So, since I have been blogging about life-long friends, I guess I needed to include her!
Jesus, thank you for friends - even doggy friends! Holy Spirit, thank you for those gentle reminders that bring us revelation. Jesus, you are the best friend any of us could ever have. Thank you for showing us devotion and love and obedience through our pets. Jesus, thank you again for my family. Help us all to be aware of the great blessings you have given us. Amen
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