Yesterday would have marked Bonnie's 61st birthday on this earth. Instead it marked the first birthday she spent in Heaven.
Somehow that realization made yesterday a little less difficult. Instead of celebrating her birthday with gifts, or a party I celebrated it in my heart, knowing she was happy and healthy and loving her place in Heaven.
What a wonderful gift she received this year. Her first birthday spent with Jesus. She spent her day in a place where the value of earthly presents diminishes to worthlessness. Just being in the presence of Christ is so valuable that the streets are paved with gold.
Doesn't that tell us something about Heaven? One of our most valued possessions on this earth is so worthless in heaven that it is used to pave streets. What a message. The value of being in His presence is so great that we would use gold to walk on rather than wear.
To imagine Bonnie in that place, enjoying the victory she achieved, took away the sting of the first birthday here without her. That is what faith does for us.
As October 30 approaches, it brings with it the "last first". That will mark the first anniversary of Bonnie's step into heaven. Those of us who loved her will obviously miss her and remember that day as one of loss for us, but we will also celebrate it in our hearts as a day she achieved the ultimate and eternal victory. While our time with her on this earth was shortened, her life with Jesus was given extra time....eternity began early for her.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sequel to a Lumber (JACK)
Making a long story short...Jack has a new home!!!!
A good friend of Bonnie's saw the last post and told a friend about Jack. They had been praying for a Great Pyrenees and were so excited to meet Jack. What a blessing for him and for them.
They are a family in Franklin TN who know "Big Dogs", having had two in the past. They wanted Jack to be little brother to Blue, their rescued Lab/Husky mix.
I delivered Jack today. Blue and Jack seemed to get along from the start...no hackles were raised...just friendly sniffing and jumping around.
The family has two sons who will give Jack and Blue a run for their money. How wonderful for all concerned.
Are you ready for a 'coincidence'? To the best of my memory, Bonnie and I looked at Jack's new home about 10 years ago!!! It is a wonderful place, in a gated community, on the end of a street....secluded...private. They even have an invisible fence to keep Jack and his big brother safe.
Thank you to everyone who gave Jack their best wishes and prayers. He is a deserving and beautiful creature.
A good friend of Bonnie's saw the last post and told a friend about Jack. They had been praying for a Great Pyrenees and were so excited to meet Jack. What a blessing for him and for them.
They are a family in Franklin TN who know "Big Dogs", having had two in the past. They wanted Jack to be little brother to Blue, their rescued Lab/Husky mix.
I delivered Jack today. Blue and Jack seemed to get along from the start...no hackles were raised...just friendly sniffing and jumping around.
The family has two sons who will give Jack and Blue a run for their money. How wonderful for all concerned.
Are you ready for a 'coincidence'? To the best of my memory, Bonnie and I looked at Jack's new home about 10 years ago!!! It is a wonderful place, in a gated community, on the end of a street....secluded...private. They even have an invisible fence to keep Jack and his big brother safe.
Thank you to everyone who gave Jack their best wishes and prayers. He is a deserving and beautiful creature.
Friday, August 12, 2011
The Story of a LumberJack.
This is a very different but very important post, none-the-less. It is the story of Jack - short for Lumberjack.
On my morning run with Hobo last week, I passed an old pickup truck going into a logging site. In it were two workers and a beautiful Pyrenees dog. The weekend came and went and on my run on Monday, I noticed the loggers were gone. They'd finished their cutting at that site.
The only thing left was one large piece of equipment, a lot of mud, and a very hungry (starving actually) Great Pyrenees dog, cowering under the equipment. He barked at me as I ran by but didn't charge or act mean in any way.
Later that day, I went back to the logging site. He was still there and I left a large bowl of dog food for him. I'd put a Capstar capsule and a vitamin in it. (The Capstar eliminates fleas within four hours.) I decided to give it another day to see if the loggers would return.
Tuesday, he was still there and I put out two bowls of food for him.
On Wednesday morning, my run was cut short because the dog had left the logging site and was under a trailer on our little private lane!!! I believe he'd begun to follow me home the evening before. I can't say that for sure, but he'd certainly come about a mile closer to me.
I brought him to the house. He was so sad. Filthy, tick infested, and absolutely starving. His ribs were just sticking through his skin. I put him in my utility trailer and started to give him a bath. He never whimpered or growled as I washed him and removed the ticks. I dried him and began brushing his long, beautiful white hair. He never once tried to get away from me or even whimper when I know the brushing had to hurt due to the tangles that were being pulled out.
This is a young dog....maybe six months old. He may not be full Pyrenees, but he is close....he even has the double dew claws on his back feet. He will grow to more than 100 lbs. He is truly a gentle giant. His big brown eyes just capture you. He will need some space and exercise, but he returns an affection for you that is hard to describe. He appreciates what is being done for him and lets you know it.
Jack is at the vet for a few days being checked out. He has no heart worms and the doctor seems to think he is healthy, except for being extremely thin. I'll leave him at the vet's through the weekend to have all of his shots, be checked thoroughly and to be scanned for an owner's chip. Assuming everything works out, he will be available for adoption next week. He needs a loving home and will return that love many times over.
This is one of God's beautiful creatures. He is truly a beautiful, gentle giant...one who needs some help. If anyone reading this would like to have him, please let me know. I think that taking care of Jack will be a blessing for someone. I hope this site can find that person. If that person is you, just leave me a comment and we will work it out.
On my morning run with Hobo last week, I passed an old pickup truck going into a logging site. In it were two workers and a beautiful Pyrenees dog. The weekend came and went and on my run on Monday, I noticed the loggers were gone. They'd finished their cutting at that site.
The only thing left was one large piece of equipment, a lot of mud, and a very hungry (starving actually) Great Pyrenees dog, cowering under the equipment. He barked at me as I ran by but didn't charge or act mean in any way.
Later that day, I went back to the logging site. He was still there and I left a large bowl of dog food for him. I'd put a Capstar capsule and a vitamin in it. (The Capstar eliminates fleas within four hours.) I decided to give it another day to see if the loggers would return.
Tuesday, he was still there and I put out two bowls of food for him.
On Wednesday morning, my run was cut short because the dog had left the logging site and was under a trailer on our little private lane!!! I believe he'd begun to follow me home the evening before. I can't say that for sure, but he'd certainly come about a mile closer to me.
I brought him to the house. He was so sad. Filthy, tick infested, and absolutely starving. His ribs were just sticking through his skin. I put him in my utility trailer and started to give him a bath. He never whimpered or growled as I washed him and removed the ticks. I dried him and began brushing his long, beautiful white hair. He never once tried to get away from me or even whimper when I know the brushing had to hurt due to the tangles that were being pulled out.
This is a young dog....maybe six months old. He may not be full Pyrenees, but he is close....he even has the double dew claws on his back feet. He will grow to more than 100 lbs. He is truly a gentle giant. His big brown eyes just capture you. He will need some space and exercise, but he returns an affection for you that is hard to describe. He appreciates what is being done for him and lets you know it.
Jack is at the vet for a few days being checked out. He has no heart worms and the doctor seems to think he is healthy, except for being extremely thin. I'll leave him at the vet's through the weekend to have all of his shots, be checked thoroughly and to be scanned for an owner's chip. Assuming everything works out, he will be available for adoption next week. He needs a loving home and will return that love many times over.
This is one of God's beautiful creatures. He is truly a beautiful, gentle giant...one who needs some help. If anyone reading this would like to have him, please let me know. I think that taking care of Jack will be a blessing for someone. I hope this site can find that person. If that person is you, just leave me a comment and we will work it out.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Worry
Luke 12:25-26 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"
I am guilty of worry...aren't you? We all do it from time to time. I certainly have over the past three years.
What I've learned is that it did absolutely no good at all. Worrying, in fact, is an admission that we do not trust God to get us through difficult situations. When we worry, we are saying that we don't think He is capable of providing for us. Aren't we saying that we do not trust Him to take us through where he is taking us?
We fret, we worry but it doesn't change anything. It just makes us more uncomfortable than we should be if we really trusted Him.
Don't get me wrong here. I am NOT saying that the end result will always be what we are hoping for. Our vision is just too short and our wisdom just to slight for that. What I am saying is, that no matter where we are and no matter what is happening around us, GOD is still GOD and HE is in control. If we trust that, if we trust Him, we should not worry.
Bonnie taught me that. We talked about worry and what it meant. Somehow, as sick as she became, she never worried. She had a calm about her that unnerved me at times. I now understand why. She absolutely, positively understood this passage. She knew, that no matter what the outcome was, it would be His decision and not ours. She trusted God enough to leave it to Him. She knew where she would be should the 'worst' happen. She would be there waiting on the rest of us to catch up to her.
There is a calm, a serenity that comes with this knowledge. I will admit that I am not perfect in this yet. I still find myself worrying from time to time. Then, when I find myself doing that, I am reminded of the worst that can happen. The worst that can happen is that we get to see Jesus face-to-face.
I am guilty of worry...aren't you? We all do it from time to time. I certainly have over the past three years.
What I've learned is that it did absolutely no good at all. Worrying, in fact, is an admission that we do not trust God to get us through difficult situations. When we worry, we are saying that we don't think He is capable of providing for us. Aren't we saying that we do not trust Him to take us through where he is taking us?
We fret, we worry but it doesn't change anything. It just makes us more uncomfortable than we should be if we really trusted Him.
Don't get me wrong here. I am NOT saying that the end result will always be what we are hoping for. Our vision is just too short and our wisdom just to slight for that. What I am saying is, that no matter where we are and no matter what is happening around us, GOD is still GOD and HE is in control. If we trust that, if we trust Him, we should not worry.
Bonnie taught me that. We talked about worry and what it meant. Somehow, as sick as she became, she never worried. She had a calm about her that unnerved me at times. I now understand why. She absolutely, positively understood this passage. She knew, that no matter what the outcome was, it would be His decision and not ours. She trusted God enough to leave it to Him. She knew where she would be should the 'worst' happen. She would be there waiting on the rest of us to catch up to her.
There is a calm, a serenity that comes with this knowledge. I will admit that I am not perfect in this yet. I still find myself worrying from time to time. Then, when I find myself doing that, I am reminded of the worst that can happen. The worst that can happen is that we get to see Jesus face-to-face.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Improvements
Over the past few months there have been many changes for me. There have been steps forward and there have been steps back. But, at the end of this day, I feel progress is being made.
Today was Shelley's birthday. Another first for both of us. This was her first birthday without her mom being with us. We both felt that absence. Bonnie was a wonderful mom and wife. We missed her today, but we were able to get through it, enjoy the day, love one another and celebrate the life that Bonnie had given to both Shelley and me.
During the day, off and on, we talked of Bonnie and what she had meant to both of us. But, also, during the day, Shelley shared with me that she felt she was getting her Dad back after a three year absence. I've felt that as well....a feeling of coming back. I have felt as if I'd 'been gone' for almost three years now. I'm coming home.
Some of the worst memories of the past three years return from time to time. I explained to Shelley that three or four months ago those memories would hit me like a tidal wave and literally drive me to my knees. Today, they still hit me but I am able to recover within minutes. A vast improvement and for that I am very thankful.
Today was Shelley's birthday. Another first for both of us. This was her first birthday without her mom being with us. We both felt that absence. Bonnie was a wonderful mom and wife. We missed her today, but we were able to get through it, enjoy the day, love one another and celebrate the life that Bonnie had given to both Shelley and me.
During the day, off and on, we talked of Bonnie and what she had meant to both of us. But, also, during the day, Shelley shared with me that she felt she was getting her Dad back after a three year absence. I've felt that as well....a feeling of coming back. I have felt as if I'd 'been gone' for almost three years now. I'm coming home.
Some of the worst memories of the past three years return from time to time. I explained to Shelley that three or four months ago those memories would hit me like a tidal wave and literally drive me to my knees. Today, they still hit me but I am able to recover within minutes. A vast improvement and for that I am very thankful.
The Light Yoke
This morning as I opened the little devotional book I've been using this year, I was struck by the entries for the next couple of days...Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." And Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
If only we could begin our lives knowing these promises are true. How much less burdened we would find ourselves.
We understand the obligations our world places upon us. We experience the losses, the demands, the difficulties of this life and we feel we must work our way through them...achieve...overcome....get over.
Being, at my core, a type A personality, I've tended all my life to think I could work my way to the top, fix whatever is broken, get over whatever was hurting me. How foolish that was. If I'd only understood these two passages.
Even in our walk with Jesus we put these 'yokes' upon ourselves. We see His demands to give our all to Him, to be like Him and we try so very hard to do so...knowing we cannot possibly meet that bar. And we can't....not by our efforts.
A 'yoke' sounds heavy and hard. HIS yoke is not. When we depend upon Him to guide us, the going is easier. The burden is lighter. He knows the way. He knows our path.
These past three years have been difficult in the extreme for me. You all know that. During the times when I tried the hardest to find answers, to make things better, to get over the grief, was when I was most heavily burdened and weary. It was during the times when I gave it to Jesus that my burden was lightened. I learned that I would never 'get over' my losing Bonnie. She will always be a part of my heart. But, by depending upon Jesus, I can get through this. Not by my strength, but by His.
There is a paragraph in my devotional that I want to share: "Dependence on Jesus is prerequisite for obedience. We cannot reverse the order without being crushed beneath the obligations of life and our attempts at self righteousness. We must be taught dependence first."
Of all the 'things' of this world for which we strive, none compare to the value of knowing our Christ as a teacher not a taskmaster. His yoke is a life-giving promise. When you carry His yoke and you trust in him to lead you and teach you is when your life changes for the better....forever.
If only we could begin our lives knowing these promises are true. How much less burdened we would find ourselves.
We understand the obligations our world places upon us. We experience the losses, the demands, the difficulties of this life and we feel we must work our way through them...achieve...overcome....get over.
Being, at my core, a type A personality, I've tended all my life to think I could work my way to the top, fix whatever is broken, get over whatever was hurting me. How foolish that was. If I'd only understood these two passages.
Even in our walk with Jesus we put these 'yokes' upon ourselves. We see His demands to give our all to Him, to be like Him and we try so very hard to do so...knowing we cannot possibly meet that bar. And we can't....not by our efforts.
A 'yoke' sounds heavy and hard. HIS yoke is not. When we depend upon Him to guide us, the going is easier. The burden is lighter. He knows the way. He knows our path.
These past three years have been difficult in the extreme for me. You all know that. During the times when I tried the hardest to find answers, to make things better, to get over the grief, was when I was most heavily burdened and weary. It was during the times when I gave it to Jesus that my burden was lightened. I learned that I would never 'get over' my losing Bonnie. She will always be a part of my heart. But, by depending upon Jesus, I can get through this. Not by my strength, but by His.
There is a paragraph in my devotional that I want to share: "Dependence on Jesus is prerequisite for obedience. We cannot reverse the order without being crushed beneath the obligations of life and our attempts at self righteousness. We must be taught dependence first."
Of all the 'things' of this world for which we strive, none compare to the value of knowing our Christ as a teacher not a taskmaster. His yoke is a life-giving promise. When you carry His yoke and you trust in him to lead you and teach you is when your life changes for the better....forever.
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