“For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die.”  Ecclesiastes 3:19  NLT

I have found an inverse proportion in my concern–fear, if you prefer–over the eventuality of death for Famous. When he was a puppy, I brought him into my life knowing inevitably he would one day leave it. This concerned me perhaps more than it should have. In some ways it seemed like a short-term investment with ultimate loss over profit. I found I could barely enjoy the sheer happiness he gave me without acknowledging at some level it would all have to end one day.

For the most part, I found relief in knowing he still had many years to live, many years where I could help him explore the world, and many years to have him by my side. Still, it seemed as though we were on a long road to a final good-bye.

But soon this quickly became the reason for sharing as much of myself as possible in what could never be enough years. I found that some moments transcended time and became tiny pinholes in the fabric of eternity. Even repetitive, routine tasks could easily take on a uniqueness of the shared moment. The burden was still there, but it had found purpose in responsibility, in the calling as his master.

Now that Famous is well into the second half of his life, and even as he has become more precious to me than I could have ever imagined, it is not his leaving that frightens me. That day will come, and there will be a cavernous void for sure. But as he becomes older, he is mostly more of a blessing, a reminder that age can be a great time for sweetness, familiarity, and love. I find I want to be with him less out of necessity and more out of curiosity, to see what lessons he wants to teach me about the journey through life.

Dear God, because of death, help me to celebrate life today.

 

“It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.”  Isaiah 4:6 NLT

The first day of spring arrives today amidst the variable weather so indicative of March in eastern United States. Over the past few weeks we have had temperatures from 20 to near 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We have had threat of snow and record breaking temperatures. It is premature to pack up the ski jackets and turn off the fireplace logs and too early to wear shorts and sandals everyday. With plants blooming and birds singing, it is still a wise idea to keep an eye to the skies when outdoors.

Yesterday Famous and I headed out for a long neighborhood walk, and I had heard there was a small chance for rain. Still, we headed out for a three-mile hike, one we would have jogged just a few years ago. But now those distances do not work for either one of us, and I expected to be away for about an hour. The sun was shining with a light breeze, so shorts and sneakers gave the trip a light and unencumbered feeling. We were halfway done when I noticed there was not as much sunshine as when we had started. Then with one mile to go, and Famous starting to tire a bit, I heard the first drops of rain hitting the leaves in the nearby woods.

Despite the sudden claps of thunder accompanying the rain, this was not the time to urge Famous to quicken his pace as he was doing the best he could and even lingering over interesting smells a little longer in protest. Knowing we were not likely to return home without getting soaked in air which had grown cold, I looked for the nearest shelter. We were approaching a large brick church in front of which I could see a large portico. We made it just before a brief but heavy shower drenched the streets and sidewalks.

Isaiah speaks literally of Mount Zion as a shelter for its inhabitants but also as a symbol for those who remain faithful to the Lord. We, too, can depend on God’s protection to those who worship him and seek his guidance.

Help me to depend on You, my Rock and my shelter, when storms threaten me today.

“Show me the right path, O LORD ; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.”  Psalm 25:4-5  NLT

We say our hearts are in the right place and that we truly want God to direct us everyday. But do we honestly look and listen for his direction in even the smallest of decisions in our lives?

Today I reminded myself why I choose not to talk on the phone during my walks with Famous. We were headed out of the house on what I expected would be a long walk. I had accomplished several chores earlier and had neglected to return a phone call. I knew as soon as I placed the call it would be a mistake. The traffic was speeding by just feet away so it was difficult to hear the other party. And Famous, although a veteran on a leash, tends to start and stop as his nose dictates. The call ended, and I was relieved to be able to focus on anticipating his next move and navigating the sidewalks and crosswalks.

God does not want us to be distracted from his moving Spirit which daily guides our footsteps. Our goal should not be to focus on the task at hand but to discover how God is working in each of those tasks.

Teach me the truth that is the accomplishment of Your will and not my agenda.

WET SPRING MORNING

Wet ground, wet grass

Wet dirt, wet mud

Wet leaves, wet sticks

All cling to my wet ears and feet.

---

Rich and Famous

A Bit o’Green Blarney for Your St. Patrick’s Day!

---

Reilly is walking through a graveyard when he comes across a headstone with the inscription “Here lies a politician and an honest man.”‘Faith now,’ exclaims Reilly, ‘I wonder how they got the two of them in one grave?

‘O’Toole and his wife are in bed one night and they hear the neighbour’s dog is barking its head off in the garden. Somewhat disturbed by the noise, O’Toole explodes, ‘Botheration and that!’ and storms off downstairs. He comes back upstairs five minutes later and his wife asks, ‘What did you do, O’Toole?’ O’Toole replies with a wide grin, ‘I’ve put the dog in our garden so I did, now let’s see how they like it.’

Donncha is shocked at finding out all his cows are suffering from “Bluetongue.” ‘Bejabbers,’ Donncha murmurs, ‘I didn’t even know they had mobile phones.’
Gallagher is in Boston and he is waiting patiently, also, he is watching the traffic cop on a busy street crossing.

The cop stops the flow of traffic and shouts, ‘Okay pedestrians’. Then he allows the traffic to pass. He did this several times, and Gallagher is still standing on the sidewalk. After the cop has shouted ‘Pedestrians’ for the tenth time, Gallagher approaches him and says, ‘Is it not about time ye let the Catholics across?’

‘Why do you Irish always answer a question with a question?’ asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
‘Do we now?’ came New York Mayor Al Smith’s reply.

Finnegan sells Michael a donkey, some weeks later they met in a pub in Killarney and Michael says, ‘Hey, Finnegan, that donkey you sold me went and died.’ Finnegan just sips his Guinness slowly and retorts, ‘Bejabbers, Michael, it never done that on me.’

Murphy lost a hundred dollars on the Melbourne Cup, a famous Australian horserace. He also lost another hundred on the television replay.

Kieran O’Connor always slept with his gun under his pillow. Hearing a noise at the foot of the bed, he shot off his big toe. ‘Thank the Lord I wasn’t sleeping at the other end of the bed,’ Kieran said to his friends in Donegal’s pub. ‘I would have blown my head off.’

O’Gara was arrested and sent for trial for armed bank robbery.
After due deliberation, the jury foreman stood up and announced, ‘Not guilty.’
‘That’s grand,’ shouted O’Gara, ‘Does that mean I get to keep the money?’

‘Ah, that was a lovely dress,’ announced Colleen, ‘and it would have fitted me if I could have got into it, so it would.’

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”  Psalm 46:1  NLT

He must think I am in trouble.

We have a new routine on work days when I have to shower early in the morning. Famous chills on the bed knowing he has a few extra minutes to doze before I am out and ready to finish getting dressed. But at the end of the shower I clean the shower walls with a squeegee to help delay the aggregation of water spots. Once in a while it will make that typical squeaking sound as the rubber gets scraped against the glass. And Famous sees me “pawing” at the door in what must look like someone trying to escape. Quickly, he jumps off of the bed and comes to my rescue staying with me until he is assured when I step out of the shower that I am not trapped for good.

Famous instinctively knows I am integral to his existence and well-being. His concern for me comes from his ancestors’ ability to live and survive in packs. They were stronger in numbers than they were on their own.

Do we recognize throughout our years that our existence depends on the One who created us and gave us life? Are we not better with him protecting, defending, and leading us?

Show me Your strength, goodness, and mercy, Father, in times when I need You most.

“All night they lie naked in the cold, without clothing or covering. They are soaked by mountain showers, and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home.  Job 24:7-8  NLT

I kept watching the door to see if he had had enough. With evening temperatures plummeting, and howling winds making the air feel more like a January night instead of one in mid-March, Famous wanted to sit outside on the deck. I was not going to sit with him! We had just finished our evening walk a few minutes earlier, and I was not going to venture back outside, especially without all the padding of parka and shapka. So I sat inside wondering why he was choosing the dark and the cold over the cozy fire on the inside. Three times I walked over to open the door and invite him inside. But he just looked at me as if he were thinking, “No thanks. I’m doing just fine.” Finally, I saw him stir, and on the fourth try he accepted my invitation. As he trotted past me I imagined him saying, “That was exhilarating!”

Famous has me to look out for him, even in the miserable wet and cold which have hit us for the past few days. Nevertheless, we make our daily outdoor treks. But who looks out for those who are without, I mean the wretchedly poor? They may be homeless, exiled, or forgotten. Who watches over them while the rest of the world lives comfortably even to excess? God does not forget them. But we must not forget God charges us to help bear their burdens, not make them heavier. When we allow fear and gluttony to control our deeds, then we are rebelling against God, and He will be the one to cast us outside.

Help me to not turn away from those who need me today. 

 

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”  Genesis 1:3  NLT

Famous lives in a world which is largely quiet. I do not leave the television on when I am away. The loudest noise inside the house is a ticking or chiming grandfather clock. I suppose he sleeps most of the day, perhaps disturbed on occasion by a delivery or mail truck in the back of our neighborhood. Other days when I am there he may be subjected to the sound of the vacuum or lawn mowers on yard day. And he rarely barks in my presence except when he wants to step outside or get a second helping at supper.

He also is losing his hearing. At the ripe age of eight years and eleven months, he is showing signs that he may not hear me as well as he used to. I have even called him from the front door recently without him hearing me in the next room. This raises concerns for his safety, but it also means his world will become a quieter one.

God spoke in the very beginning when there was nothing to make noise. There was not even light when his command went forth to create the universe from the void.In creating light, He cancelled silence.

God continues to cancel silence. We may have our own silences of loneliness, separation, discrimination, or imprisonment. But God’s voice can shatter the silence in our lives and reunite us with the One who made heaven and earth.

Shatter the silence which seeks to overcome me today, Father, in whatever form it appears, so that I may see the joy You shine upon me.

“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”  Matthew 24:40-44  NLT

Famous is always ready to go outside. He may be ready to take a walk. He might choose just to sit in front of the house and take in the sights and smells of the great outdoors. He could be hoping to finally catch one of the pesky squirrels that run along the top of our fence. But given the invitation to go beyond the door, he is quick to be at my side. You might say his time in the house, as comfortable as it can be, is just his waiting until once again he is out under the sun, moon, and stars.

Just as Famous is always prepared to see what lies beyond the front door, we should always be prepared to see what awaits us beyond this lifetime. If we become too comfortable in this world, we become less diligent in our preparations for the eternal life God has promised to us.

I want to be ready to respond to the moving of the Holy Spirit in my every day and when He finally comes to take me home. 

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”  Philippians 4:5  NIV

Famous could teach me a thing or two about gentleness. I am amazed by how little aggression is in his body. Even when he goes outside to bark at noisy crows, you wonder if he is just playing with them. He has always been submissive to anyone willing to offer him a belly rub, but now that he is an older dog, he will take a head scratch, a back rub, or a paw massage as long as it is being offered.

Paul tells us to be a little bit more like Famous in that we should not be selective in showing gentleness. It is intended towards everyone. We should be able to demonstrate the gentleness of Christ to friend and foe.

Help me to be unafraid to be gentle in spirit throughout the day.