She rolled her eyes and said, "Just what ya'll need."
I stood there holding our little furry gift, and opened my mouth to defend our decision, but I had no words to say.
Probably a good thing.
Her words surprised and stung.
She didn't know us well enough to know what we needed or what we didn't.
But if I'm honest I must admit that I also questioned before Paddington came into our life (and after), if we really needed another dog.
The responsibilities. The uncertainties of cost from possible health problems of a new puppy and later of an aging dog. The possibility of having our hearts broken again.
But I had told Ethan when we lost Bayley, that when I could say her name without crying, we would get another dog.
A year later, we all knew that day wasn't going to come.
Ethan's world is small and I know on many days lonely. With him asking for a dog every day I finally gave up my apprehensions and prayed for just the right one, while Jim did all the research.
We wanted a dog small enough to sit comfortably in Ethan's lap, and one big enough to safely jump out of it, and a breed that didn't have a lot of known possible health issues.
So on a Friday night, November 30th, God used Craig's List to help us find our puppy. After spending less than five minutes with him, we invited that sweet little Shorkie to be a part of our family.
He looked like a little bear. So we named him Paddington, after one of Seth and Ethan's favorite storybook characters.
I admit it hasn't been easy. We thought most dogs were like Bayley. We were wrong.
I have the "corners" to prove it. None on my coffee table, and chewed-up ones on an ottoman.
I've had to put shoes in the garbage and, for a while, I automatically wrote Clorox Clean-Up on my grocery list without even thinking.
Jim and I have not slept more than five hours on the same night since Paddington came to live with us. Little puppies have little body parts.
We no longer greet each other with "Good Morning," but with "How long did Paddy sleep?"
It has taken a while, but I now know the words, or word, I couldn't find when she stepped, no jumped, right across that boundary five months ago.
The word is the same reason most hard things are done in life.
It's the reason we takes risks and step out of our comfort zones.
The word is the best reason we know.
It's the word that was there before the foundation of the world, when God chose me and you to become His children, and He put forth a plan to make it happen.
The word is Love.
The reason was Love.
"Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love,
to be made whole and holy by His love.
Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His big family through Jesus Christ.
(What pleasure He took in planning this!)
He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His Beloved Son."
Ephesians 1: 4-6
No comments:
Post a Comment