Dogged Through Life

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Margaret

I come from a long line of dog-lovers. Both of my folks grew up with dogs and told stories of how difficult it was to eventually say goodbye. Dad liked the trustworthiness of dogs, and Mom saw them as good examples of unconditional love. (She returned the favor by keeping Milk Bones in her purse.)

Our childhood dog, Toby, lived 16 pampered years with us, but cancer eventually took over. One day while we were all away at college, Mom and Aunt Agnes made the excruciating decision to have Toby put to sleep. It was the kind thing to do, since he was in constant pain. But the minute Mom got home she changed her mind and called the vet. “Don’t do it! I’m coming to get him!”

The vet was one step ahead of her, though. “You’re not the first one to call me back,” he said. “Your Toby is already gone.”

As hard as that was, Mom knew he’d done her a favor. Making that decision once was hard enough. Twice would have been impossible.

She wasn’t dog-lonely for long, however. Through the years, her doggie-desires were abundantly satisfied with lots of grand-dogs, since she and Dad raised a family of dog-lovers, too.

(Montego, Pepper, Gunnar, Wrigley, Sydney, Wilbur, Jack, Strider, Blue)

I think God is pleased when we love the creatures he’s made. That includes dogs, cats, gerbils, canaries, and every other animal people give a name to and care for as family members. Appreciating animals is to appreciate the One who originally gave them to us.

And if that’s true, then valuing the pinnacle of his creation (people) is even more important, more dear to him. We might say, “But animals are easy to love, because they always love you back. People can be downright unlovable. God doesn’t expect us to love that kind.”

Then we read the Bible:“This is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11) God’s instruction has always been (and always will be) to love each other and act accordingly. He doesn’t say, “I know it’s hard to love those who make your life miserable, so just love the ones you ‘click’ with.”

Why do we have to love everybody? He gives a two-part answer: (1) “Love them because I love them,” (John 3:16) and (2) “Love the not-so-good-ones because I love you.” (Romans 5:8)

And there’s one more reason. Scripture tells us no one can see God and live afterwards, but if we consistently show love to others, especially to the unlovables, people will see God-in-us, which is exactly the reason he wants us to do it.

So when we’re ready to try loving unconditionally, we know where to go for our first lesson: to our doggie friends, because they model it really well.

“If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:11-12)

Yuk!

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Margaret

I like to keep a neat house, but it’s not always clean-neat. Picking-up is easy compared to breaking out the Pine-sol, Windex, and Pledge. This last week, however, the kitchen took on a strange air that none of us could identify. It wasn’t exactly smelly, but something wasn’t quite right.

As the days passed, every so often we’d get a whiff of wierd, and finally, after a week, whatever it was began to reek. Birgitta, Louisa, and I opened every drawer and cabinet, leaning in for repeated sniffs, desperate to find the problem. Was it rotting food in the waste can? In the disposal? Under the stove? In the drain pipe?

None of those.

Although we kept hunting, we also lit scented candles and sprayed room deodorizer. Whatever it was, it continued to worsen until we were gagging and unable to eat anywhere near the kitchen. What in the world was it?

Today we found out.

Reaching into the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink, I twisted to the right to get a pair of rubber gloves hanging over the drain pipe when I saw it. Snuggled up next to the back of the Kitchen Aid mixer was a dead field mouse. At least I thought it was dead. He hadn’t moved as I’d rummaged around at close range, and the smell in the back of the cabinet was absolutely putrid.

So I did what any woman would do. I insta-backed out of the cabinet and slammed the door.

Later when I showed Louisa what I’d found, we marveled at how tiny the little mouse was and how big its stench. It reminded me of a tiny word that always brings big stink into our lives: sin.

Because the devil is very clever, he coaxes us toward evil in mini-bits. “A little won’t matter,” he says. “Besides, no one needs to know.” And for a time, that may be true. But as Scripture says, what we do on the Q.T. will eventually be spotlighted…. when its smell has grown so big it dominates us and disgusts those around us. Our best bet is to clean it out in its early stages, well before it begins to rot us.

As for our mouse, since I was the one who’d put De-con poison in the back of the cabinet, I was elected to take him out. Though he seemed dead and his odor confirmed it, I wondered if he would run up my sleeve when I tried to grab him. In the end, I double-bagged my hand, let out a long, loud yell, and picked him up. Sure enough, he was dead.

Not long after that, the comforting scent of Pine-sol filled the room, and our women-against-beast adventure was over. If only it was that easy to rid ourselves of sin.

“Dead flies [or mice] make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

This is goodbye. (…written by Jack)

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Margaret

Tonight my girlfriend Sydney came over to spend the evening with me, and we had a lovely, peaceful time napping together on the floor. I refer to her as my girlfriend, though in reality she’s my cousin. But with dogs, it’s ok to date your cousin.

Sydney and I go back over 10 years. Although I’ve “robbed the cradle” in choosing her for my closest canine relationship, we would both be considered old. Syd is 12, and I’ll turn 11 in October.

Just like any couple, we enjoy doing things together, and we also love the same treats. We agree on our very favorite thing, too: running around at the beach. Both of us have perfected happy dances in the sand, rolling upsidedown in an effort to become part of the landscape. Neither of us mind getting sand up our noses or in our eyes, and when we do the dance at the same time, it’s absolute magic.

Although every day with Sydney is special, tonight was extra-special. Sydney had just had a bath and arrived in my living room still wet. I love it when she smells like wet dog, and the black waves in her shiny coat were absolutely fetching. But then something terrible happened at the end of our evening together. Sydney and I had to say goodbye…. probably for good.

Tomorrow morning my love is moving to Arkansas, and I may never see her again. Her family says that all the changes about to happen to her will be stressful and might put her at risk for an early demise. This upset both of us, but we didn’t let it spoil our last evening together.

I chose an appropriate going away gift for her, something I knew she would love: a big box of dog bones. I also made a card expressing my love and included a picture so she can look at me and know I’m missing her, too.

Saying goodbye is rough.

I guess that’s true for humans, too. Life will always be full of goodbyes, at least until we all end up in Paradise. I fully intend to go there, and I know Sydney does, too. Both of us have been taught that the God who made us looks into our hearts, so he knows the two of us are reflections of his unshakeable, unconditional love.

Though I may never dance at the beach with my girlfriend again, I know God will always be watching over both of us just as he watches over the humans we love. I also know that when Syd and I think we can’t take any more of being separated, God will comfort us. Actually, I don’t think he likes goodbyes any more than we do.