I want to apologize for posting this so late in the week. Last weekend was so busy, I didn't have much time to post anything. The Labor Day weekend had two big things happen that were worth talking about.
First, we suffered a loss in our family. Last Friday, September 4th, we had to put our dog Herbie to sleep. Herbie hadn't been doing well recently; his hips were bad, he had lost his hearing a couple of years prior, and his vision was failing. The last few days before he was put to sleep, Herbie had taken a rapid turn and declined quickly. He had stopped eating, was only drinking water, and was becoming increasingly listless. Within the day before Herbie was put to sleep, he was doing very poorly. My sister had thought he would just pass away on his own.
I wasn't able to go with the others when they took Herbie to the vet on Friday the 4th. The rest of the family (minus Dad and I) took him in the morning; Dad and I had to work. Judging by what my mom and sister said, Herbie went very quickly and easily. The vet examined him and concluded with my other sister that Herbie suffered from kidney failure. It also seems that he was likely older than we originally thought; when we adopted him at Thanksgiving 2009, the shelter told us that he was about four years old. Herbie might've been at least two or three years older than that. Along with all his other health problems, last year Herbie suffered an infection on his back that made all the fur on his back fall out. When it all grew back in, the fur was darker and coarser than before, the fur of an older dog for his breed.
It was sad to have to let Herbie go, but it's have at least one positive effect. I've come to realize that I'm thinking differently about our dog Chewy. I always used to think that Chewy was just trouble in a little, long-haired body. Wily, poorly-behaved, selfish, totally dominant over our other dogs, but able to get by on his looks; that's Chewy in a nutshell. He has the selfish sensibility of a born lap dog. However, after Herbie died, I found myself thinking of Chewy more kindly and affectionately. Maybe it's just the loss of Herbie, but I'm finding myself being kinder to him.
For a very long time, I could only ever think of Chewy as "the worst little dog ever", but now, I have a little more affection for him.
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I also misplaced my wallet for a little longer than a day along the weekend as well. I was so scared about what was going to happen. I (thankfully) didn't have my debit card on there, but I did have my Social Security card and a Home Depot credit card in there. I was anticipating having to go to the Social Security office and the DMV. Thankfully, on Monday night, I found my wallet had fallen into a box in my parents' bedroom. By that point, I had already given up any idea of ever getting my wallet back. We had just prayed about getting it back, and when I suddenly found it, my dad could do nothing but laugh.
I think God was teaching me to be patient and to trust Him. These are two areas in which I've admittedly struggled in my walk as a believer. Please pray that I would continue to trust the Lord with all my heart (Proverbs 3:5) and wait on Him and His time.
Lord, help me to walk humbly with You, and trust in Your love, power, and mercy.
