Being a Puppy - What is the Draw?

It is good to be back to writing again - sometimes it feels like life crowds out this time, the time that I communicate with you out of my soul - I never want the crowding to happen, it just does - and Im sorry to have been away - but I am back, with the initiative to write again for a little bit...

Many of you who read this blog will remember Flo - Flo was my dog...was...
I realize that this will come as a shock to many of you, but Flo had to leave this world last summer.  It was not a happy time for our family - but her grave is behind our house if you ever want to visit it.  I know that there will be a thousand questions from those of you who loved Flo vicariously through this blog, but it is not for this post.  I will give you a few lines to recover now.



In the late summer, after we were healing up some from the freshness of Flo's departure, we (much more some of us than others) decided that we needed to have another dog.  A friend (thanks Deb!) sent us a contact for silver lab puppies and through a remarkably short courtship, we fell in love with Truffle.  She is now about 7 months old.  She is gorgeous, but she is crazy and full of energy, and not always super obedient

 

Well, this dog is insane.  We have made it pretty clear from her earliest days that she was not to chew on the wood of the furniture.  We have used bitter apple spray and treats to distract her and a wide variety of things, but she knows she is not supposed to chew on the coffee table, the rocking chair, the cabinets.  You also need to know that she has toys - toys everywhere.  There are some mornings that I have nearly woken the entire house by stepping on a squeaky toy sitting in the middle of

 the living room - it can sometimes feel like trying to navigate a mine field getting from one side of the house to the other without stepping on a toy.

 

So, this crazy dog has all these toys - and knows not to chew on the coffee table, etc.

 

So, what does she chew on? 

 

She will walk right past, over, around, or through, more toys than many children in the world will ever get in their lifetimes so that she can chew on the coffee table, the rocking chair, the cabinets, etc.

 

I know!

 

It is ridiculous!!

 

She knows what she is supposed to do.  She knows there will be consequences from choosing the wrong way.  She knows the toys are good too.  Yet, she so often chooses the wood! 

 

Is it that she just loves wood so much?  I don't think so.  I think it is that she is stubborn and ornery and just wants what she wants.

 

Since she can't talk we will never know, but I think there is a part of her that just wants to do what she wants to do, and sometimes that part is just stronger than the part that wants to make her people happy, so she does what she wants - and pays the price.  Seems pretty lame, until I look at my own life.  In fact when I look sat Truffle's coffee table chewing, I might as well see myself.

 

There are so many things in this life that I know I really would be better off if I would just do the right thing - yet I have chosen so many times over the year to go ahead and do what I feel like doing - and I pay the price and many times so do the people I love.  So many times I don't even have a great reason for doing the stupid things I do - I just do them.  I am an idiot!

 

Well, I am convinced that Truffle will not always chew on the wood in our house - I suspect that she will learn that we love her and she will start to chew on the right stuff because wanting to make us happy is better than her orneriness.

 

I am also convinced that I am not choosing what I want just because I want it nearly as much as I used to.  I am inviting God to join me in my day - and I am journeying with some people who are just as messed up as me - and who have also chewed a lot of wood in their lives too - and together we are seeing a better way of living.

 

We hang out together every other Thursday night at McAllister Recreation center, just of 20th and Schuyler Ave, Lafayette, from 645-800 pm and this Thursday night, the 5th of February is the next time - when we hang at McAllister, we call ourselves Morethanmore and we laugh more than any group of people I know.  From time to time, we serve those in our community who have needs that we run into too.  We would love to have you join us - I don't think you'll find a place on earth where the people are more accepting.  We do have free, excellent, child care for kids up to 6th grade if you have kids.

 

If you have problems with chewing on the wood in this world - I hope to get a chance to see you soon!