He takes two medications, twice a day. He broke out of the kitchen window to go play with Athena and Sugar. (We don’t condone the breaking out of windows, but it was nice to see that he wanted to engage with his friends.) He doesn’t whine nearly as often and loves his toys. We think he was in pain which is why he was whining and sleeping all day. He’s still a calm dog for the most part, but I love that he is willing to get up and move.

Our pet insurance would have covered cancer treatments, but I can’t even imagine going through that journey with him. I would have, of course, but I’m so glad he doesn’t have to go through that.

Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV)

This is a pretty popular passage of scripture and one that I take to with joy. I love that Christ tells us not to worry about our lives because he takes of every thing. I’ve heard this passage many times in sermons about having faith in our God when we find ourselves in the midst of trouble. But- I noticed something today that I never thought about before.

Some background: I remember being taught so many times while growing up that we should be careful what we pray for and that we should not pray for extravagant blessings or for so-called trivial things. Since coming to Sandals, I’ve realized that while I have complete faith that God can handle anything I throw at Him, he also cares about the things I care about. I’ve always had a soft spot for any living thing that is defenseless. This means that even underdogs in movies and books get my wholehearted love and protection. If you make fun of a disabled person in front of me, be ready to reap what you have sewn! I will have something to say about it! It also means that stray animals (or even people) are in serious danger becoming a household favorite if I spot them. No matter how much pain it brings me, I will do whatever I can to make sure that if you cannot defend yourself or find a friend, you are not alone. When I was young, I remember my pastor actually saying that praying for animals is wrong because God has bigger concerns. But I care about animals. (In another life, I would have been an outstanding veterinarian.)

Back to present day: Do you notice anything in that scripture? “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” He takes care of animals. He would care for them even if I didn’t. When he spoke these words, my ancestors were huddled over fires in Northern Europe of going on viking raids or hunting buffalo in the now American Southwest. I was not only not around yet, but some of the cultures that contributed to my creation, had not had interaction yet. Jesus cared for birds. Saint Francis  of Assisi is famous for his love of fauna.

When I awoke this morning to scuffling sounds in my room, my first reaction was to yell, “Luna! Stop fighting!” That usually does the trick, and she stops attacking the other cats. The sound didn’t stop. I sat up as my mom came running into the room. In my half dazed state my response to my mom was, “no he’s not” when she said he was having a seizure. We had a dog with epilepsy some years back, so it was certainly not my first round with a seizure. He had four seizures in about 40 minutes, each lasting about 7 minutes. By the time the second was over he was blind. By the time the fourth was over, he couldn’t walk or stand. I’m always afraid of asking for prayer when my animals are involved because I hear my former pastor saying, “Don’t ask us to pray for that. That’s not our concern.” But it’s my concern. My God loves me and He cares for me. That means He cares for the things I care about. My God feeds the birds of the air. I can ask my friends to pray because that’s what prayer is for. Wouldn’t you talk to your earthly father about things that were concerning you? So why can’t I ask my Heavenly Father? He has a greater power to change the situation at hand that any human. I sent out texts during the fourth one because at that point, I frankly didn’t care if my friends thought I was ridiculous, I needed help from my God. I received several immediate responses and the whole morning changed instantly. No joke, instantly. Lewis’ behavior was closer to normal. He could see movement, though not images. He wasn’t as scared and would even let the family close enough to pet him. (Dogs become extremely suspicious of everyone during and after seizures. They don’t understand what’s happening or what’s causing it.) The seizures stopped. Our vet called us personally and said, “I’m opening early for you guys. Get in here.” Lewis ate and drank and was able to walk, albeit shakily, to his food and water. I have never doubted God’s ability, but today I was incredibly reassured that he cares about the things I care about.

So much thanks and love to Mama Lauralee who texted me an awesome prayer, to Natali, Michelle, Bethany (who responded via facebook), Sean, Kelli, and Kyle. You peeps are all amazing! Thank God for all of you!

C.S. Lewis aka "Lewis"

He’s a beast, but I love him. Lewis is about 85-90 lbs. and his head comes up to the middle of my torso. He’s also incredibly strong, the way only the biggest dogs can be strong. As an example of this, last night I watched him jump through the window in our kitchen door. It happened too quickly for me to react in any way other than to laugh at the site of him moving so easily through a window that begins at my chest. He just wanted to play with our other dogs. Then today, as I was preparing to leave for Starbucks (free a/c and I can get some work done here) I let him into the backyard so he could play with his friends. He was fine until he saw me on the other side of the front gate getting into the car. Lewis wanted none of that so he climbed the 8.5 foot gate that separates our front and back yards. I want to say that again, slower, so that you can hear the astonishment in my voice. “He climbed… an eight and half foot fence. Eight and half feet. More than one hundred inches. Almost three yards of chain link.” My baby is a monster. Lewis is the sweetest monster I’ve ever met. I’m wondering if I should have named him Aslan after all since, “He is not safe, but he is good.” I’ve never had to break a dog of climbing fences before, so I’m not sure how to do it. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Here’s a little something for you guys to ponder, some lyrics. I didn’t write these, Matt Berninger of The National did. I love these words.

“Leave your home
Change your name
Live alone
Eat your cake

Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Oh the waters are risin’
Still no surprisin’ you
Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Man its all been forgivin’
Swans are a swimmin’
I’ll explain everything to the geeks

All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love

Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Oh the waters are risin’
Still no surprisin’ you
Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Man its all been forgivin’
Swans are a swimmin’
I’ll explain everything to the geeks

Hangin’ from chandeliers
Same small world
At your heels

All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love

Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Oh the waters are risin’
Still no surprisin’ you
Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Man its all been forgivin’
Swans are a swimmin’
I’ll explain everything to the geeks

I’ll explain everything to the geeks
I’ll explain everything to the geeks”

P.S. What exactly are clouds in coffee? I’ve never understood that.

I started losing hearing in my right ear when I was little, thanks to chronic ear infections as a toddler. Scar tissue builds up continually thanks to my lovely auto-immune disease. Thankfully, I can still hear the sounds of my headphones in that ear, thanks to proximity, I suppose. Well, that’s a plus. Also a benefit, if I don’t want to listen to someone, I can take out the ear bud on my right side and pretend to listen. This is especially useful when I’m trying to get work done and my mom won’t leave me alone.

My fingers aching is a pleasant change, however. I love sewing and creating things so this feeling in my fingers is proof that I had a great week. It’s also a comfort to know that as my fingers become more and more adjusted to the work they’re performing, the pain will lessen. For now, though, it is a comfort.

I need to sleep. I’ve decided to start napping whenever I have the chance since I’ve been staying up so late and getting up so early. Honestly, I almost never have the chance to nap, so we’ll see if this actually happens.

“Seriously, the rejoicing and chanting of “USA” over the fact that we shot a man without trial who was on dialysis… We are a hideous collection of meat, bone, and blood.” -Charles Lewis

“The notion that the death of “evil” men can bring about justice, peace, and freedom is nothing more than a falsehood spoken by puppets in the illusionary show. The show that captivates audiences all around the world.” -Cristin Smith

Here’s the thing: someone will take his place. Satan has a plan, but so does our God. I’m sorry to say that Osama bin Laden was a man guilty of heinous acts against humanity. He deserves to be judged… by God. Certainly, he is now no longer a threat to national security, but what’s more important to me is not our nation but God’s Kingdom. He was, as Cristin Smith says in her blog post found here, a pawn in a war game. This is by no means a checkmate. No one celebrates the death of one soldier on a battlefield, even a higher ranking military figure. The only goal is to eliminate the King of the opposing army.