Praise for Ordinary Days

Hello friend, it’s Shellie dropping in for a visit with news from the parental front, but first, a reminder.  Do remember, that I only remind you, because Father God has first had His way reminding me. 

That said, our ordinary days are not a postscript or a place keeper between more important events. And they aren’t side notes to what God is calling us to do. ⁣All the moments of our lives are His, and all of them are holy when lived before Him and to Him. Share your newsletter with a friend that you know had an “ordinary” day and celebrate it together. Give Him some praise. He’s worthy of it. Trouble may be waiting tomorrow, but so is our God! Selah! And now, that story I promised you… 

It’s been more than a decade since a little black Dachshund showed up in Melbourne Community and adopted my parents, AKA Papa and the Queen of Us All. This sweet canine was a street-smart stray who surveyed the landscape and put down roots faster than you can say, “But, wait! Mama doesn’t like inside dogs!” Papa took to Lady, as she came to be known, faster than quick. It took Lady a little longer to ingratiate herself in the Queen’s good graces, but Lady was nothing if not persistent. It wasn’t long before she was holding court in Mama’s house like she’d been born there. Here’s what I wrote about Lady back in 2013…

Hear ye, hear ye, Mama has an inside dog, meaning a dog is darkening her door without threat of execution. It’s difficult to explain how big this is but watching them interact is an out-of-body experience for the rest of the family. I liken it to the feeling we all had when Les Miles and Nick Saban sat beside each other at the Heisman Presentation acting like BFF’s. It’s hard to shake the feeling you’re being had.

I wouldn’t blame anyone aware of Mama’s recent back surgery for wondering if there are pain meds involved but Holy Ghost Dog arrived months ago, pre-surgery, and had officially ingratiated herself before Mama’s operation. I call Lady a Holy Ghost Dog because A) She showed up at Easter and B) Only an act of God could’ve produced the scenario we’ve been witnessing ever since.

The record setting canine has been christened Lady and somehow the little Dachshund seems to understand the fragile nature of her position. She’s been working it from the get-go. The parents’ try to act like they aren’t smitten with the dog and the situation is temporary, but Lady isn’t at all offended. She’s determined is what she is. My sisters and I are convinced Lady canvassed the premises and decided it was a fine place to put down roots, at any cost. She sits as still as a church mouse for her bath and lets great-grandchildren tote her by the neck without complaint. Mama’s pet peeve used to be the cats lounging on the back porch. Lady seemed to sense it. Her first official act was to send those unwanted felines to Papa’s equipment shed and, to Mama’s delight, Lady continues to monitor the perimeter during her potty breaks.

The doctor says Mama’s recovery from back surgery will be slow and steady, but every day is looking a little better than the last and by now it’s obvious to everyone that Lady is something of a therapist. God works in mysterious ways, all right. Sometimes He even uses Holy Ghost dogs. 

It’s been ten plus years since those words were written. And yes, Mama and Lady grew close over time, but Papa and Lady became inseparable. You rarely saw Papa without that little black shadow trailing him. Although to be honest, after the first few years, the shadow wasn’t so small. Lady loved to eat, and Papa loved to feed her. Regardless of how much the family fussed at him for making Lady fat, the two of them were in happy cahoots.

Everyone who has ever loved and been loved by a good dog knows the price you pay for their loyal company is the grief that comes with their all too brief life spans. Dog people count the cost and pay it.

Several months ago, it became obvious that Lady was at the end of her sojourn and headed for the Rainbow bridge. The whole family mourned with Papa when he could no longer avoid the inevitable and Lady was laid to rest.

Heads-up. If you’re the emotional sort, you may want to dry your eyes here. We’re about to make a right turn.

In today’s episode of As the World Turns in Alsatia, LA (the parents’ place) we find tensions running high… Papa has brought a small dog home to be his new companion. He found this dog and he’s been wanting this dog for weeks. The Queen of Us All has been staunchly against getting another inside pet. She even threatened me if I went against her wishes and gifted Papa with a dog, making it very clear that she would be angry with me. I backed down.  Papa kept scheming.

His first move was to move the little terrier into a small air-conditioned building that sits yards behind his and mama’s house. He equipped it with a doggie bed and all the necessities while he figured out how to slip his new buddy in on the Queen.

The secret didn’t last long. It’s hard to hide a yelping terrier. That first full day after the Queen met Honey, all three of us girls talked to mom over the phone. We all knew the dog was on the premises and we knew she knew we knew. Still, she said nary a word about this development to us and and none of us brought it up to her because we are really big chickens. Bac, bac.

After that we girls were kept out of the loop for a good twenty-four hours. Our best guess was that the parents were in the middle of a Mexican standoff with the Queen saying “That dog ain’t come in my house” and Papa saying “Oh, yes it will.”

Well, that was then and this is now. It appears Honey has moved to the big house, which may seem like Papa won, but I say the jury is still out. Papa may find this to be an empty victory. Standby for news…

Hugs,
Shellie