Ginger

Sunday tradition at my house is to enjoy a carefree day. The freedom to be lazy abounds. What a way to start the week.

Sundays like this seem to float by as quiet and insignificant as the white swirls of clouds on a warm sunny day. Then, there are those exceptions that come along once in a while and interrupt the quiet to announce life is about to change.

Startled awake by my beagle's alarming bay, I sat straight up in my lawn chair to see what was going on. "What is it boy?" His tail was springing back and forth as though it was keeping time to music. I knew he had seen something in the yard. I crept up to the gate to see what was around the corner of the house. What was it that Sam was barking at so insistently?

At first, I couldn't see anything. The cars were fine. The padlock on the storage room was intact. But then, I noticed something moving in the pile of dead tree limbs at the far end of the yard. "Oh Sam, it's probably a cat".

Satisfied I had identified the source of disturbance, I went back to the comfort of my lawn chair. I tried closing my eyes and tuning out the non-stop barking, but it was more than my ears could bear. "OKAY! OKAY! I'll go see what it is."

Once I stepped outside the gate, the quiet returned. Sam watched as I walked towards the pile of branches. Sure enough, there was something caught in the tangled mess. The closer I came, the better I could see. "Oh, it's a little dog." I could hear it whimpering as it struggled to escape.

"Be still and I'll try to help you." I picked up a couple of branches from the top of the pile, and the little dog leaped out and ran off. The poor little thing was skinny and scared. But now it was free, so I guess I did my good deed for the day. "Come on Sam, let's go inside and find something to eat."

The sound of the can opener signaled the other two dogs that it was supper time. As I scraped the dog food cans clean, I heard a squeaky sound at the back of the house. Of course, I wasn't the only one who had heard the peculiar noise. The three dogs stampeded out the back door. When I got to the door there the poor skinny little dog was outside the fence lying in the grass, barking towards the house. I was sure it needed some food too, so I opened a can of Vienna sausage and plopped them out onto a paper plate. "Here you go."

There was a scared, desperate look in the little dog's eyes as she scarfed down the food and then ran off. How sad for an animal to be so desperate and no one care. I brushed tears away as I plopped another can of sausage onto the plate, hoping she would come back and finish the rest.

For the next three weeks I fed the little ginger-colored dog every evening . She hid in the pile branches until late evening. Each day I drove up into the driveway after work, there the little dog was, sitting in the yard watching and waiting for something to eat.

Day after day the little dog would follow strangers down the sidewalk, begging to be noticed. Each time the person would disappear around the corner, the little dog would stop and look back at the house, then trot across the street back to the pile of brush. Sadness filled my heart as I watched. No one wanted the little dog. I knew it wouldn't be long until she would probably die.

On the third Sunday, I decided I would try to gain the little dog's trust. I took a plate of dog food outside the gate and sat down in the grass. I hoped that she would trust me enough to let me pet her. It took two hours to finally gain her trust; it was worth it though. She climbed up in my lap and I held her close. She licked my face over and over as though she was telling me "thank you." It was at that moment "Ginger" became part of our family.

copyright 2006 S. Hunt - All Rights Reserved

*************

Word for the Week: Family

Bible Verse: John 3:16 NKJV

God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, that whosoever believed inHim, would not perish, but have everlasting life.

It's been almost a year since Ginger came into our family. I have four dogs now, and I've had to make the decision that I can't take in any more strays. I love my dogs; they are my family. But I have limited space and limited finances. And as I pondered this decision, God tapped me on the shoulder.

He reminded me that He never runs out of space or provisions for us. He is continually inviting anyone who will trust Him to come into His forever family.

Come as you are, there are no limitations. God is faithful and true and will accept you into His family no matter what. All you have to do is trust Him.

copyright 2007 S. Hunt - All Rights Reserved