Have you ever experienced a day from hell? We just had one. We are devastated. Our sweet, adorable, beloved Owen, our 10 month old Boston Terrier, died yesterday. It was a tragic, bizarre accident. He jumped out of the car window while connected to a leash and hung himself. I can’t go into any more detail – I can’t stop crying. I can’t stop blaming myself. With all the best of intentions, with love for Owen as the motivation, we left him in a situation that we never in a million years anticipated would turn out so horribly. If you don’t hear from me for awhile, you will understand why. I am so so so sorry!!!!! My heart is broken in a million pieces.
He filled all the empty places in our heart and home… he was such a sweetheart… learning and growing… and now he is gone. A day from hell…
I can’t stop blaming myself. We were gone less than 5 minutes. We never should have left him… Woulda, shoulda, coulda… Heaven help us!
Owen Leo Beekman Born 7-24-23 on my 85th birthday! (We’re both Leos!!)
Just look at that face! Doesn’t he look innocent?
Guess again! That “Ducky” used to have a head!
First to go at the expert chewing of our destructive pup was the beak… then the whole head!
And next, the wings had to come off, and all the stuffing out of the body!
So, I cut the limp body off of the rope, and as you can see, he loves his rope!
We’ve had Boston Terriers all of our married life, 62 years worth, with about six different pups in those six decades. But none was as destructive as this guy!!
See that collar on him? It is to prevent him from pulling the stitches out from the surgery he had last Monday.
Suppose getting him neutered will calm him down? We hope so!!
He really is a sweetheart… when he’s asleep! But he is such a live wire when he’s awake… Always into something! Will not sit still in Bob’s arms to have his toenails trimmed the way our last Boston, TazE, did!
But, Owen’s just 10 months old today… and so he is still learning, still a puppy. Give him time, huh? Owen is destined to be an angel…
We just pray that he makes that transition while he is still here on earth. Right?
My mom loved poetry and she saved those she liked the most when she saw them in the newspaper back in the 1930’s. I have the cardboard on which she taped her favorites.
It’s inside my kitchen cabinet door. So faded you can just barely read it. The date says 1936! One of my favorites of that collection is:
My dog is a nuisance, an absolute pest, With him in the house there is truly no rest. He leaves dirty tracks on the mirror-bright floor, And scratches the paint from the tidy front door.
He slobbers his water and spills half his food; The rugs are all gnawed and the slippers are chewed. He sheds tufts of hair and he scatters his fleas; He buries his bones under bushes and trees.
He keeps me awake every night with his yaps; The neighbors all cuss him for spoiling their naps. I’ll stand it no longer. I’m getting fed up. I won’t be a slave for that bothersome pup.
Er, pardon, excuse me – but what did you say? You ask if I’m giving my puppy away? You’ve the nerve to suggest that you’ll take him with pleasure. Well, certainly not – he’s an absolute treasure!
…Margaret Macprang MacKay, poet
Here’s mom… with my dad … back in 1936 At the time she collected those poems, Before my sister and I were born. Aren’t I the lucky one? To have such parents?
Thank you, Mom, for your love of poetry And your love of dogs, and your tolerance. Er, pardon, excuse me, but what did you say? You ask if I’m giving my Owen away?
Well, certainly not! I’ll keep him with pleasure. He’s an absolute treasure!!
If you have followed my blog in the past, you know I used to post sermon notes every Sunday afternoon. I’ve not done that for a while. Today I decided, on a snowy May 23rd in SW Montana, that I have nothing better to do than to share with you my notes from last Sunday’s sermon… because with winter weather in late May, I need encouragement to “Keep Hope Alive”… and I thought maybe you could use a little encouragement, too. So here’s what Rev. Mary Grace Reynolds preached last Sunday (as filtered through my ears to my brain to you)…
Sunday’s sermon on hope was inspired (not by Jeremiah 29:11 which is one of my favorite scriptures) but by Romans 8:22-27.
Romans 8:22-27 New International Version
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
(Bold print added by me)
Paul wrote this a couple of decades After Christ descended and ascended. Paul addressed the anxiety of Those who questioned Christ’s return.
We who have the First Fruits of the Spirit Are saved by the HOPE of what we do not see. God, who searches our hearts, knows… God knows our every mood and emotion.
And with that scripture in mind, Mary Grace shared her sermon. Here are my notes:
KEEP HOPE ALIVE
Calvin Coolidge’s young son Passed away because of a toe infection. It was over 100 years ago – Before the discovery of penicillin.
Today we have the promise of A new vaccine to retrain cells Of a brain tumor to attack the tumor. The narrative of lives is being changed.
People who walked with Jesus Had interpreted Him as saying, “I’ll be right back…” But Jesus was taking too long!
Paul wrote to tell the early Christians, Who had been given the Holy Spirit, To be patient … and keep HOPE alive. Maybe Hope isn’t a whisper, but a shout!
Hope is more active than faith. It is a fighter and a screamer. The world is groaning, crying out in pain, And people who’ve been stepped on must also.
Don’t accept the pain life throws at you. Cry out in pain. Bark as a threatened dog. Hope is harder to lose than faith Because it is louder… and persistent.
We hope for things beyond our reality. Hope gives us the strength to wait – To be cheerleaders who, with discipline, Keep HOPE (through the Holy Spirit) alive.
Hope feels like pain, burns like passion When we see all the world’s injustices. But HOPE is alive and will not give up. Keep it alive in you. Expect its miracles!
I love this meme!
Keep hope alive! If you have time, go to YouTube and select one of the renditions of “It Took a Miracle”… and absorb those words. So profound! (For whatever reason, I couldn’t imbed that song here.) I love it…
It Took a Miracle
To hang on to HOPE in a fallen world may take a miracle… But that miracle is yours for the taking. Take HOPE And keep it alive! Amen?
That’s my granddaughter, Hope, with me… and her daughter, Sienna, my great-granddaughter, who will be 5 next month, and our last Boston Terrier, TazE. HOPE is alive and well in our family. How about yours?
Yes, you Owen! You chewed and shook and squeaked and rampaged that toy to death!
But Mom, it’s such fun!
Ya, well it isn’t made of cast iron, you know.
Can I chew this foot off of it?
Obviously you can, Owen. And you did. And then the ear. And then the other feet. And finally got a piece of the stuffing. And then the squeaker. What a mess!
It’s okay. I have other toys!
Uh-huh! But how long will they last!? You are hell bent on destruction!
But you love me, Mom, right?
Yes, Owen, I love you! But you definitely need some training … and some cast iron toys!
Boston Terriers are such fun!
Owen keeps us on our toes! He’s quite a character. My blogging has had to take a back seat to his care and attention. This week we’ll begin some intense training for him. Do you have any advice!?
You want me to ring that bell? What a silly idea!
Yup, ring the bell. Do your business outside. Don’t chew on the furniture. Stop grabbing your dad’s shorts off the bench in the bedroom and carrying them to the living room.
“Enjoyable Job” – hah! For some that’s an oxymoron! But not for me. My job (as an educator for over 30 years) was mostly enjoyable! 👌🏽
I submit that I would be lying if I said I enjoyed my job every day! Some days, as a teacher, I didn’t have enough corners in the classroom to separate the trouble-makers! Then after 24 years in the classroom, I changed my job to educating teachers… and mentoring parents. That’s what principals do as effective administrators! Some days I didn’t have the patience I needed in order to enjoy the role of principal when it came to disciplining a recalcitrant teacher or suspending a troublesome, disruptive student and helping the parent know how to follow-through at home.
My job now is to take care of my hubby and our home – and to house-train our new puppy, Owen.
Owen and Bob
Do I enjoy those jobs? Not always! I’d be lying if I said wiping up “mistakes” always is enjoyable. But, do I feel blessed to have them both? You bet!
Every job is a blessing!
“Enjoyable” is not always the most important definition for an important, successful job. How do you define it?
Owen is our new Boston Terrier. Seven months old, born on my birthday last July 24, he is an 8 lb. bundle of energy. Our home is new territory for him. He was part of a kennel litter of seven in Springfield, MO. Being in a home with snow covering the outside areas is new to him. My job is to teach him to be a reliable family member. Teach him to walk on snow. Teach him to signal us when he needs out!
His jobs are to learn how to live inside, how to play with his new parents, how to communicate with us, where to “go” and where not to. His favorite spot is my lap! I’m learning to “read” his needs. It’s a challenging, but rewarding job!
Meet Owen!
Sweet pup! You are bringing such joy into our family!
What are your current jobs? Don’t try to convince me that they’re always “enjoyable” 🤪 !!
Today’s prompt asked me to “Write about [my] dream home” – but I’m gonna branch out and write about my “Dream Life.” And how my Word for 2024 “SIFT” fits into that picture.
S = Simplify I = Inventory and Itemize in order to prioritize F = FOCUS That’s the word for today… FOCUS on the present!
Here’s my present for today… for yesterday… for everyday… my dear sweet husband, Bob, with whom I have been married for 62 years TODAY! He’s what makes my home a “Dream Home.” He’s what makes my life a “Dream Life.”
Today my FOCUS is on how blessed I am to have the gift of Bob!
That smile is because of our wonderful years together and the opportunity to celebrate the occasion of our anniversary with church friends at fellowship today and with another dear couple at a special dinner last night. Ah, my “Dream Life” is not something I take for granted. Believe me!
Today at church fellowship hour
Last night at a special dinner with friends:
The dinner was our gift to one another… but my gift to Bob is coming. It’s a surprise! I’m waiting for the right time to tell him!!
This is Happy Bob a couple years ago with our Boston Terrier, TazE. We’ve always had Bostons in our “Dream Home” wherever we were living all these 62 years… but TazE died a year ago.
There’s a part of Bob’s personality that is locked into his relationship with a playful pup. I miss that part of Bob as much as I miss the companionship of a pet. I decided I need to FOCUS on how to fix that problem!! Sooooo….
Meet Owen!!! He is my surprise for Bob! He shares my birthday: July 24th! He will arrive sometime here in the next couple of weeks! Our “Dream Home” will be complete again! And our “Dream Life” will resume! Don’t you think I have chosen well?
Or do you think Owen will complicate rather than simplify our lives? Hmmm??
Pups really do require a lot of care! But what dream can you think of that doesn’t? FOCUS on the love! Stay tuned!
In my devotional yesterday, “All God’s Creatures” by Guideposts, the writer, Jerusha Agen, reminded me of the importance that unconditional love be exhibited. She wrote about “Simon’s Love” telling about a cat who acted like a dog.
Jerusha’s favorite pet had died. It was the first time in her life She was without a dog to cuddle. But her cat took away the strife.
Her cat started acting like a dog, Meeting her at the door when she got home, And sitting in her lap to comfort her. Letting her brush him with a comb!
Her cat, Simon, knew to mourn with her. Simon seemed to know what she needed. In grief, Jerushah had been neglecting him, But Simon forgave that sin; with joy conceded.
“Rejoice and mourn with others, According to what they need,” Jerusha wrote to her readers. Ask Bob for forgiveness – with speed!
I’ll ask God to help me be more Loving and responsive to Bob. Help me with my impatience, Lord. Help me show genuine love to my heart-throb!
1959
Here’s my heart-throb when I met him He was in the army at the time. Happy Veteran’s Day on Saturday. Ours is a long-term love sublime.
That doesn’t mean we don’t argue Or make each other mad at times. But, God tells us sinners to forgive… Just as He does – ALWAYS, not just sometimes!
You can probably relate to my “Faux Pas” – You’ve probably blundered some, too. But, God is calling us sinners: Let love fill the dog-shaped void in you!
Let forgiveness be your guiding star, Since we all forget to be compassionate – ’tis true. I’ll look for ways to show love like Simon. And God’s calling you, my dear sinner, too!!
