Thursday, March 01, 2007

Dog-Gone Thunder






Our dogs can be very brave and ferocious when they need to be. They are extra alert and on guard when I am by myself. They go after animals and other varmints that come in our yard. They are good dogs. They are afraid of one thing though. They hate thunder. When Belle was around five or six months old, she was outside when a thunder storm was approaching. Star was outside as well. Before the storm really got here, there was one really LOUD crack of thunder. I ran to let the dogs in on the porch. Star came running, but I could not find Belle. She had just been on the front porch by the door. I went out and called and called. The wind picked up, it started to lightening and thunder more and more. I hollered and called for her. No Belle. Joshua and I hopped in the car and started down the road. We would get out and call her every so often. We went all the way around the block. No Belle. When my husband got home that evening, he and Joshua went out looking and calling. I had already called neighbors up and down our street and also behind us. No Belle. She had disappeared on a Thursday morning. My husband took part of Friday off to look and go to farther neighbors and knock on doors and ask if anyone had seen her. We made up posters and put them everywhere we could think of. We drove into town and checked the pound and put a poster up there. No Belle. We were really bummed. Michael was the most attached to her, but we were all worried about her and missing her. We kept driving, looking, calling, checking neighbors, etc. Sunday night we got a call from a man who lives about 7 miles away. He had our dog. He had called a neighbor to see if the dog belonged to him. He said it just showed up on their doorstep. The neighbor had seen the poster in the gas station and told him about us. Praise the Lord, we got our dog back. That shows you how afraid Belle is of thunder. Star is also afraid and makes sure she gets near her people when the thunder starts.

This morning, I was sitting in a chair in the living room reading my Bible. We are supposed to have thunderstorms today. It is actually supposed to get into the 50's today. YEE HAW!!! I had heard little rumblings off in the distance. However, there was one pretty loud clap of thunder and then it started to roll and as it got louder and closer the house shook. =) The dogs had been laying on the floor sleeping soundly. They jumped up like they had been shot and high tailed it my chair. Belle pressed against the arm of my chair with her whole body. From behind, Star wedged herself in between Belle and the chair. Then it was Belle's turn to do it. It was hysterical. They were fighting one another over who could stand next to me. After there was no thunder for several minutes, they moved to within a foot of my chair and layed back down and went to sleep.

It reminds me of my walk with the Lord. He wants me by His side all the time. I wander off a bit to do my own thing. Then something happens, and I am jumping in His lap and holding on for dear life. Then as life goes back into somewhat of a routine, I get down off His lap and stand beside Him. I walk that way for awhile and then I may start to wander again. You would think that I could learn the lesson to stay pressed to His side. That is one of the reasons, I love the song, "Come Thou Fount". I especially love the last verse.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.



Belle in her favorite perch... the window sill on the porch.

Star with her favorite pastime... playing ball.

Star conversing with one of the farm cats.

Belle as a pup learning how to hug Joshua.

4 comments:

Kristi said...

This was a really wonderful post. I'm so glad our Heavenly Father is there waiting to hold us in our most frightening moments.

And I'm so glad you got Belle back.

~Kristi

Peggy said...

I just love how you help us see everyday things in our life are similar to how God is in our life. thanks,

LadySnow said...

Great post Marci! Love the pictures. =)

Tina Leigh said...

Oh Marci what a sweet story & I love how you tied it up with our relationship with GOD. Yeah I wish I could just crawl up in my Jesus' lap sometimes...really!