The longer I live the more I am aware of God’s long-range plans. What might have been a mystery or a tragedy is far better explained when the decades roll by and are observed in the Senior years.
A recent blog spoke of things that had happened in my life…death of my father, our house burning down and the death of my still fairly young sister…and those are just a few of the crossroads in my life. I know each one of you have your own list.
But there were triumphs too…I got 1st place at the Music Festival for junior vocal when I was twelve…I was “Strawberry Princess” one year,… I found my soul-mate and had 54 wonderful years with him, and together we had two little girls who delighted us. Then there are the blessings of grandchildren and now-great-grandchildren…the list goes on and on.
But my story today is of a little puppy…a little puppy that was a gift, not happily received. It would be a bother…it had to be trained…it had to be walked…it had to be cleaned up after…yuk!
But gradually that little puppy found its place in the neighborhood family. The lady of the house tolerated it and was always kind but the dog was more her husband’s friend.
It became my friend too and seldom a day goes by that my voice doesn’t call out “Come here Drew” and he races across the grass to get a cuddle and I look into his big brown eyes and tell him he is the most handsome dog I know.
But things have changed. The dogs master has died. Poor Drew is not sure where he has gone and putting his paws on the side of the bed, he looks and looks but the man of the house is no longer there.
So now when I call and ask the widow how things are going, I know that although the house is empty with her spouse gone, Drew is now the man of the house and a slice of the heavy loneliness that is widowhood, has been cut away. The little dog has filled a void that was not anticipated when he joined the family.
God has such wonderful plans for us, as Jeremiah 29: 11 tells us… plans of trials that are always tempered with mercy. We may weep and wail but He sees our sorrow and brings us comfort…even the comfort of a small puppy to love and cuddle and cry with.
Photo: “Hod.GoniecPomorski-wl.WaldemarFeculak“. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.
