Loving Lucy

Well despite my hopes to blog weekly it seems I've been a bit busy of late. Final preparations for my BAP, plus Mike's ongoing health issues and return to work, have meant little time for reflection. Then there was the decision we took to extend our family- Lucy the beagle arrived just over a week ago and in all honesty we already can't imagine our lives without her- we're head over heels and irreversibly in love with this gentle, sleepy and stinky hound.
Mike and I have had family dogs before we were Married, and as a couple we've had a variety of furry rodents. When we 1st moved in with my mum she had two pooches who sadly have now died. We always knew we'd get a dog one day and now seemed the right time.
Years ago, during my early days on HTU, I nursed a patient through chemo and a transplant. Let's call him Clive (not his real name). The main thing I remembered about Clive was his obsessive love for his dog. Years later he was back for a very brief stay but on this admission I learned that Clive was a very committed Christian. He gave me a copy of a book he'd written all about his dog (now sadly dead) and what he believed his relationship with him revealed about God's love. It was a delightful testimonial.
Now with Lucy in my life I understand what Clive meant. There's something about the unconditional love of a dog, the early morning walks in quiet reflection, the joy they show when you come home and the knowledge that they'll never judge you. A dog loves us as we should love God- with unconditional joy.

Job 12:7-10
But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.

What a wonderful world

Today was the first day I found it difficult to fit in the LLLL task. The instruction was to take a walk and notice the world around you. Doesn't sound like too big a deal but there was shopping to do, household tasks, an afternoon nap to fit in before my night shift and a degu to bury.
I think the closest I came to noticing the world around me was when we held Tod's funeral early in the afternoon.
I love the peace of my garden- there's something very calm about our little corner of Flixton. You can hear the distant rumble of traffic on the m60 and Liverpool Rd but mostly it's quiet with gentle bursts of bird song, and later in the day you might hear the foxes in the field.
We laid Tod to rest under a small willow tree. Faith read her tribute and prayer, then we all said our goodbyes by placing an orange roses on his grave. The air was cool and dry with very little breeze. Shortly after everyone had returned inside a few wispy snowflakes started to fall, before thinking better of it.

Psalm 92.4
For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the work of your hands.

Thank God

Today I had everything planned. We were asked to say thank you to someone and I had decided that we would make thank you cards for my mum who does so much for the kids and myself. That was the plan until something very unexpected happened.Tod, our four year old degu died very unexpectedly in the night.
We were up a bit late this morning and some friends were coming round so I hadn't really been in the conservatory where Tod lived, with his brother Smiley. The kids had mentioned that Tod was still in bed but no one thought anything of it until my husband looked a little closer.
There had been no warning signs- he'd been as chipper as ever last night and Mike had left the two boys snuggled up together and squeaking when he'd come up to bed.
Both children were very tearful but Faith especially was hit hard- Tod was hers (and Smiley is Jacob's)- telling me she just wants him to be alive again and how she doesn't feel like herself anymore. All I can do is hold her and tell her that one day it won't hurt quite so much, but I can't take away her tears today.
So we decided to say thank you to Tod, for being part of our lives and bringing us so much joy. We've written a short tribute to him and have a prayer ready for his funeral tomorrow in our back garden.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

Proverbs 12:10
The righteous know the needs of their animals