God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm. ~ William Cowper
💐
I have to admit in recent times I’ve been wondering when we’d start to see God’s footprints on the sea during the storm raging through our time
I seem awash in outrage and anger over the state of the world. It seems each days there’s something new
Then as it so often happens in something mysteriously happened that blasted through my darkness and let in a stream of love, light and hope.
I came upon a picture of a dog that reminded me of another dog
~ a dog named Boy
Our beloved childhood guardian angel
This story begins with a scene I shall never forget ………
It was when my brothers and sisters and mother were gathered in our front room the night we got the news of our dad’s passing. We sat silent and all wondered how would we ever survive dad was our sole source of support
Then mother, very quietly uttered a prayer I heard often in her life.
“GOD HELP US ALL”
Losing Dad had put us all into post-traumatic stress. Mother never recovered. Her emotions got buried deep inside her.
She retreated into a protective shell, a kind of hard exterior. She took comfort from the sips she would take from a bottle hidden in her bedroom.
Now she had to be both
- mother and father,
- nurturer and breadwinner,
~ and that proved to be a bridge to far for her.
Mom hunkered down went into survival mode and moved heaven and earth to provide us food shelter and clothing.
Life dealt her an incredibly hard hand, widowed at 45; five children to raise and all on her own.
She did an incredible job but it was not without costs. She emotionally withdrew and my siblings and I were forced to fend for ourselves.
~ Now here’s where the God moves in mysterious ways comes in…..
One night shortly after dad’s funeral a little mutt mysteriously showed at our back door, someone opened the door.
Boy stayed for the next 14 years.
My God how that dog lavished love on us. He ran around 24/7 on affection patrol, making sure we were sufficiently loved each day
I don’t have words to express what it meant to be so enthusiastically loved
I couldn’t help but ask; who sent Boy to us; knew we were so starved for affection, who knew the love we craved could come
~ Boy turned out to be one of my great teachers
I learned prayers are best answered when I refrain from dictating the terms and conditions in which a prayer is answered.
~ Yes, God does move in mysterious ways
Similarly I remember when a dear friend of mine was mourning the loss i of a great love waking up one morning to find a momma cat and anlitter kittens had taken up residency under her porch.
She scooped them loved them dearly and made them apart of her family
I make no claims to understanding of how any of this happens. I only give witness to THAT it happens
All I know is the common thread seems to be the intervention is always different from what I might have anticipated.
So this grumpy old man should start reminding himself what life has taught him ~ help is on the way
- how it will come
- when it will come
………who knows
~ that it will come Is the mystery of life itself
I do however have one lingering question has stayed over the years.
Who opened the door to let Boy in ?
My guess is brother Kevin
- he was the youngest,
- he was the most vulnerable,
- he was the most inconsolable.
As it should be
Just a Thought
Pat
💐
Here Brother Bela shares his miraculous story of the love he and his wife Doris share for their miraculous ‘kids’
We are often asked…Do you have any kids?,
Well, yes…We have had quite a few.
[Verse 1]
Two wonderful Poms, a Maltese, and many a sweet Yorkie,
But the biggest heart-stealer was Luna, our cute little Morkie.
[verse 2: sung even more gently]
Always on our laps, nestled in a warm embrace,
Everywhere life took us, they had a special place.
[verse 3]
Precious little souls, innocent and pure,
Spirits so bright, love and devotion so sure.
[Chorus 1]
Shanti and Tisza,
Napu and Luna.
Napoli and Lotti,
Gidget and Bali.
[verse 4]
Beautiful Tjantik and our lovable Tjinta,
Our colorful parrots were at home in Sinajaña.
[Verse 5]
Tjinta with always something to say, would often reply,
I can talk, I can talk, …can you fly?
[Verse 6]
And we can’t forget Blackie, our Greek dog by the sea,
O σκύλος της Χαλέπας, a legend in Halepa on Kriti.
[Chorus 2]
Shanti and Tisza,
Napu and Luna.
Napoli and Lotti,
Gidget and Bali.
Tjantik and Tjinta,
And the Dog of Halepa.
[Outro]
So yes, indeed, we’ve had plenty of kids along the way,
Little souls who shared our lives and brightened every day.
Each left pawprints no passing years can take away,
And the love they gave still warms our hearts today.