Saturday, February 2, 2008
Dejunk our Life
Series
Philippians 4:11 “…..whatever the
circumstances.”
A Dog’s
Life
Twelve years ago, one summer, someone dropped a fuzzy,
white, small animal in the church parking lot. There were dump
trucks going back and forth as the parking lot was being built. I
did not want the small, distressed and matted animal to be killed so I took it
home for my daughters to wash. It was love at first sight for
them.
Christina, who was 11, named the dog Jane Eyre because
she had just read in Bronte’s novel, Jane
Eyre, where Jane showed up at the preacher’s house in great
distress. The name seemed fitting and it stuck. It is my task, as
directed by my wife, to take Jane every Thursday to the groomers. I
have no idea how Jane knows when it is Thursday but every Thursday she
knows. From the moment I come in from running she follows me
around the house and looks at me. She never does this any other day of the
week, only Thursday. She watches me eat breakfast and read the
newspaper. She watches me lay out my khaki pants, blue shirt, and
one of my forty similar ties. I have to shut her out of the
bathroom or she will watch me take a shower. If I leave to go
to the car without her she cries. Jane wags her tail from the
time I put her into my car until she arrives at the
groomers. When she comes home with her poofed-up hair at
the end of the day she is very excited!
On Monday, my wife asked me to take Jane to the
vet. She told me not to tell Jane or to mention that we were going
to see our veterinarian, Dr. Parvin. When we got in the car I
realized Jane thought she got her days confused and was happy about the
unanticipated visit to the groomer. Her first inkling came when I turned,
not toward the groomer but toward the veterinarian. Jane looked at
me and in her doggy language howled with great distress,
“OHOHOHOHOH…..NOooooooooo.” When I arrived at the vet she
jumped to the hatch back of my car. I couldn’t reach her so I went around
to open the hatch and she jumped to the driver’s seat. I was afraid
to leave the hatch open for fear she would run onto Highway 31 so I closed
it. As I got to the front seat she jumped to the very back of the hatch so
I could not reach her. After three times of enacting this drama and
much muttering I sat in the front seat, turned on the ignition, and put my
automobile in gear. Jane foolishly jumped in my lap and the gig was up.
There are many times in our life that we go from great
excitement to great disappointment. There are times we think
something great is about to happen only to discover it’s a
nightmare.
Prayer
Dear God, help me each day. Amen.