Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Queen Bayley and the Grasshoppers
After a lengthy hiatus, I have decided to return to my much abandoned blog, dust it off, so to speak, and share a delightful tale with my dedicated readership. It goes like this:
Bayley truly enjoys running through the grass in our yard and tracking for treasure. She especially enjoys tracking when the grass is long, as it is now, and when the bunny, AKA Peter Cottontail, AKA Adrenaline Junkie, heads into the yard (but alas, that's a tale for another day). Lately, I've enjoyed sitting outside in a lawn chair and reading while I let Bayley track through the yard. Some nights, I will provide for Bayley a trail of Cheerio's to go hunt down in the yard.
The other night, however, I had gone outside to chat on the phone with a good friend. Bayley was wondering around the yard as usual. And then I notice that Bayley has come running, nay, leaping through the yard with something in her mouth. She goes to the door and asks me to let her in. I turn to look and she has a grasshopper in her mouth. Disgusted by this, I tell her that she cannot go in and so she happily runs off into the yard, puts the grasshopper on the ground and rolls all over it. And then, sure enough, my dog ate that grasshopper. Yum.
Amused and slightly nauseated, I continue my conversation with my friend. Until I notice Bayley crouched in the corner of the yard, pawing at the dirt and dancing a bit. I watch for a while until I notice that she has captured yet another grasshopper. I watch as she runs through the yard with it, throws it on the ground, rolls on it, runs through the yard with it again, rolls on it, and on and on until... yep, she ate it.
Bayley did this no less than 4 times in the hour I was outside with her.
And I have been wondering why I can't seem to get her to lose any weight. Turns out, she's been snacking on grasshopper treats at night!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Unfathomable
It is no secret that I work with broken, hurting people. I have the pleasure, privilege, joy, and sometimes burden of seeing people at their lowest points in life. I see them cry and beg for the hurting to stop. I hear their stories of pain and sorrow. I hurt with them, encourage them to keep going one day at a time, lend them my hope when they have none, and sometimes, I see them daily to be sure they are still making it through the storm. I offer them hope, admire their courage, and reflect on their pain. They teach me and shape me in ways that nothing else could. And, in doing all of this, I have heard horrific tales of the depravity of humanity. I have heard things that most people would not believe even if I shared. I have heard of so many and such varied atrocities that by now, sadly, nothing shocks me anymore. I have met murderers, rapists, addicts, prostitutes, abusers, orphans, widows, widowers, and survivors. And I have found one thing in common among all of them: pain. It seems that the one thing common to all individuals, whether the victimized or the perpetrator, is suffering. No one gets out of this life unscathed by the bitterness of a sinful, broken world.
And this has gotten me thinking about the pain that we experience in our lives. Recently, an acquaintance of mine got engaged. Seeing her smiling face, I couldn't help but think that 2 or 3 years from now, she will no longer be smiling innocently and excitedly but will be wondering why marriage is so hard and so painful. (Please do not misunderstand me- marriage is phenomenal and a wonderful blessing; it also happens to be painful, as all things are). I hate that I have become so cynical. I wonder if there would have been any way for me to avoid that given the nature of my work. I remember the days of innocence when I believed the best about people and thought that truly horrific things didn't really happen.
This week, I experienced two separate things that caused me to face once again the depth of suffering in the world. I heard a story of suffering that is unfathomably horrific even to me, the one who carries the tales of horror told by so many in this life. And, I watched a video about the body language of dogs in which I observed an abused dog cower in the corner, yelping, shaking, and trying to hide when a woman walked toward her, hand raised, yelling in a deep voice, "You bad dog" to assess whether this dog had been abused or not. I am finding more and more similarities in relationships with people and relationships with dogs.
Traumatized people cower in their relationships. The wrong word, action, or situation, even when entered into innocently, can cause the greatest fear. Dogs respond in the same ways. They quantify for me on a tangible basis all of the things I experience with my clients but cannot fully quantify.
Both of these experiences this week left me questioning, "How can someone do that?" How can another human knowingly and willfully abuse a child? How can an individual hit a dog? How can someone scream at a dog or continue to approach a dog in an angry way when that dog is cowering in a corner, clearly terrified? What makes these things possible. I know all of the intellectual answers to these questions: lack of education and awareness, unhealed wounds of their own, sin. Yet, even knowing these answers, I continue to struggle to comprehend and accept in my mind that these realities occur.
I have always been an extreme thinker. My closest confidantes often remind me that I am, once again, thinking in extremes and must seek the middle ground. When I hear these stories of pain and horror, I find myself so amazed at the resiliency of the beings with whom I share my world. I think in the extremes: these things are unforgivable, these people should be punished, there's no way healing can occur. And yet, then I met the perpetrators. I see the pain in their own lives. I see them suffering and sorrowful. I experience the joy of seeing people heal. I watch people survive even in the most traumatic of circumstances. I see them fight for life. I see dogs learn to trust again. I see them come to life and release the fear. And it shows me in mighty ways the courage of all of these broken beings. It reminds me of the reason why I continue to pursue the fight against the darkness. And it also reminds me of the reason that God continues to allow sin and bitterness in our world. Without the darkness, we'd never see light. I am so thankful for the light of Christ because I have seen the darkness that exists outside of Him.
I praise my God who has made me and healed me and continues to sanctify me. I praise Him that I don't have to be the one to execute justice or heal lives because He does and He will. I cannot wait for the day when we will live in His fullness. For now, I will read Psalm 73 often and praise Him for the light that shines more brightly because it is held against the darkness of our sinful world.
And this has gotten me thinking about the pain that we experience in our lives. Recently, an acquaintance of mine got engaged. Seeing her smiling face, I couldn't help but think that 2 or 3 years from now, she will no longer be smiling innocently and excitedly but will be wondering why marriage is so hard and so painful. (Please do not misunderstand me- marriage is phenomenal and a wonderful blessing; it also happens to be painful, as all things are). I hate that I have become so cynical. I wonder if there would have been any way for me to avoid that given the nature of my work. I remember the days of innocence when I believed the best about people and thought that truly horrific things didn't really happen.
This week, I experienced two separate things that caused me to face once again the depth of suffering in the world. I heard a story of suffering that is unfathomably horrific even to me, the one who carries the tales of horror told by so many in this life. And, I watched a video about the body language of dogs in which I observed an abused dog cower in the corner, yelping, shaking, and trying to hide when a woman walked toward her, hand raised, yelling in a deep voice, "You bad dog" to assess whether this dog had been abused or not. I am finding more and more similarities in relationships with people and relationships with dogs.
Traumatized people cower in their relationships. The wrong word, action, or situation, even when entered into innocently, can cause the greatest fear. Dogs respond in the same ways. They quantify for me on a tangible basis all of the things I experience with my clients but cannot fully quantify.
Both of these experiences this week left me questioning, "How can someone do that?" How can another human knowingly and willfully abuse a child? How can an individual hit a dog? How can someone scream at a dog or continue to approach a dog in an angry way when that dog is cowering in a corner, clearly terrified? What makes these things possible. I know all of the intellectual answers to these questions: lack of education and awareness, unhealed wounds of their own, sin. Yet, even knowing these answers, I continue to struggle to comprehend and accept in my mind that these realities occur.
I have always been an extreme thinker. My closest confidantes often remind me that I am, once again, thinking in extremes and must seek the middle ground. When I hear these stories of pain and horror, I find myself so amazed at the resiliency of the beings with whom I share my world. I think in the extremes: these things are unforgivable, these people should be punished, there's no way healing can occur. And yet, then I met the perpetrators. I see the pain in their own lives. I see them suffering and sorrowful. I experience the joy of seeing people heal. I watch people survive even in the most traumatic of circumstances. I see them fight for life. I see dogs learn to trust again. I see them come to life and release the fear. And it shows me in mighty ways the courage of all of these broken beings. It reminds me of the reason why I continue to pursue the fight against the darkness. And it also reminds me of the reason that God continues to allow sin and bitterness in our world. Without the darkness, we'd never see light. I am so thankful for the light of Christ because I have seen the darkness that exists outside of Him.
I praise my God who has made me and healed me and continues to sanctify me. I praise Him that I don't have to be the one to execute justice or heal lives because He does and He will. I cannot wait for the day when we will live in His fullness. For now, I will read Psalm 73 often and praise Him for the light that shines more brightly because it is held against the darkness of our sinful world.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
It's All About Relationship
As a counselor, I believe that the only way to truly heal from the wounds of our past is through loving, healthy, healing relationships with those around us. I have seen an accepting, caring, genuine relationship heal a great number of deep wounds in many individuals. I have also seen these relationships heal wounds in my own life. In school, I learned technique after technique designed to help bring healing to people's lives. Yet, time and again, I have found that the use of techniques is not what heals. The relationship is what heals. Relationships are dynamic, ever growing and changing, messy, and beautiful. I have come to believe that in working with children, trust is built within a loving, accepting, authentic relationship based on empathy, respect, and fair boundaries. I have discovered over and over again that people are motivated to change and become better through loving, patient acceptance of who they currently are, sins and all. I know beyond any doubt that my salvation and sanctification come through Christ's loving acceptance of me in spite of my sins and continued grace for me. And yet, until recently, I had this mistaken belief that somehow, my relationship with my dog did not apply to these same standards.
When we adopted Bayley, she was fearful, timid, and unresponsive to us. She did not trust us. She would not go in her crate. She would not play. She would not bark. She did not eat well. She drank from puddles outside instead of drinking the water we gave her from the sink. In our attempts to bring healing to our beloved dog, we began to find some hopeful answers in the work of Cesar Milan. He is well known for rehabilitating fearful dogs. So, I watched his television show and read some of his books. We learned many techniques that we began to apply with Bayley. And, to our amazement, these techniques worked! We taught Bayley that we could be trusted, that we were on her side, that we would not hurt her, and that in our responses to her, we always wanted her best. She began to eat eagerly, drink from her bowl, gladly run to her crate, and play with us regularly.
Pleased with the progress Bayley had made, I began to attribute all of our successes (and failures) to the proper or improper use of our techniques. Then, a few weeks ago, I started to chat with a friend of mine who mentioned to me some concerns she has found in the techniques of Cesar Milan. I began to research and consider my thoughts on this topic and she also offered me some reading materials to assist me in exploring different points of view.
One of the materials she gave me is a book called, "Bones Would Rain from the Sky". As I have been reading this book, I have been astonished by how much the author speaks about the relationships we have with our dogs. She believes in the need for mutual respect as well as for your dog to view you as the leader in the home. But, she identifies and acknowledges that dogs have feelings and needs. These feelings and needs are not the same as those of humans, but they are valid nonetheless. Developing mutual respect and leadership with your dog, she asserts, is not based on a list of rules or techniques but is based in relationship. In reading this book, I have been brought back to the basics, it seems. I have been reminded more and more that what I love most about life, people, and counseling is the aspect of relationship!
I don't yet know where I stand on all the various techniques and theories of dog training and behavior that are out there, and I look forward to learning more about this topic. But, one thing I have learned as I have been reading through this book is that even with our dogs, it is the relationship that heals. It's not technique that has healed Bayley. It is the relationship that she shares with us. It is our consistent responses of love and acceptance toward her that has brought her to a place of trusting in us. It is our consistency in setting boundaries with her that has caused her to feel safe. It is our gentleness and authenticity in responding to her that causes her not to flinch when we touch her. My relationship with my dog is defined by my ability to empathize with her and respond to her feelings and needs in a respectful, accepting way that has allowed her to blossom into her true self. While technique helps in this, healing and change is never defined by technique! Even with my dog, it is the relationship that heals!
This realization has caused me to become less rigid with technique and more fluid in my responses to Bayley. As a result, I find that my affections are stirred more greatly for the beauty, mystery, and fullness of my God. And that is about relationship, too.
When we adopted Bayley, she was fearful, timid, and unresponsive to us. She did not trust us. She would not go in her crate. She would not play. She would not bark. She did not eat well. She drank from puddles outside instead of drinking the water we gave her from the sink. In our attempts to bring healing to our beloved dog, we began to find some hopeful answers in the work of Cesar Milan. He is well known for rehabilitating fearful dogs. So, I watched his television show and read some of his books. We learned many techniques that we began to apply with Bayley. And, to our amazement, these techniques worked! We taught Bayley that we could be trusted, that we were on her side, that we would not hurt her, and that in our responses to her, we always wanted her best. She began to eat eagerly, drink from her bowl, gladly run to her crate, and play with us regularly.
Pleased with the progress Bayley had made, I began to attribute all of our successes (and failures) to the proper or improper use of our techniques. Then, a few weeks ago, I started to chat with a friend of mine who mentioned to me some concerns she has found in the techniques of Cesar Milan. I began to research and consider my thoughts on this topic and she also offered me some reading materials to assist me in exploring different points of view.
One of the materials she gave me is a book called, "Bones Would Rain from the Sky". As I have been reading this book, I have been astonished by how much the author speaks about the relationships we have with our dogs. She believes in the need for mutual respect as well as for your dog to view you as the leader in the home. But, she identifies and acknowledges that dogs have feelings and needs. These feelings and needs are not the same as those of humans, but they are valid nonetheless. Developing mutual respect and leadership with your dog, she asserts, is not based on a list of rules or techniques but is based in relationship. In reading this book, I have been brought back to the basics, it seems. I have been reminded more and more that what I love most about life, people, and counseling is the aspect of relationship!
I don't yet know where I stand on all the various techniques and theories of dog training and behavior that are out there, and I look forward to learning more about this topic. But, one thing I have learned as I have been reading through this book is that even with our dogs, it is the relationship that heals. It's not technique that has healed Bayley. It is the relationship that she shares with us. It is our consistent responses of love and acceptance toward her that has brought her to a place of trusting in us. It is our consistency in setting boundaries with her that has caused her to feel safe. It is our gentleness and authenticity in responding to her that causes her not to flinch when we touch her. My relationship with my dog is defined by my ability to empathize with her and respond to her feelings and needs in a respectful, accepting way that has allowed her to blossom into her true self. While technique helps in this, healing and change is never defined by technique! Even with my dog, it is the relationship that heals!
This realization has caused me to become less rigid with technique and more fluid in my responses to Bayley. As a result, I find that my affections are stirred more greatly for the beauty, mystery, and fullness of my God. And that is about relationship, too.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Pride: The Worst of them all
Earlier this week, I spent several hours talking with a man who had come to a place of deciding that maybe life is no longer worth living. As I spoke with him, I was struck by a sad realization. This man talked with great pleasure and pride of his many accomplishments in life. He spoke of being intelligent. He spoke of achieving greatness. He spoke of being sought after and liked. And yet, in the end, he spoke of wanting to die. In all of his achievements, he had not found peace. He had not found life. He had not found healing.
Then, later in the same day, I listened as an acquaintance of mine spoke of his great accomplishments. He spoke of his rank in school as a child. He spoke of his great achievements in school. He spoke of the places he's been and the things he's done. He spoke of his wealth. And yet, I know one important fact about this individual. While he has great knowledge, he lacks wisdom. He lacks the ability to apply the things he knows in ways that can help bring fulfillment to his life and the lives of those around him. This man knows the Lord, yet I was struck by how eerily similar he sounded to the first man with whom I had spoken.
Recently, I experienced a situation where some individuals in a position of power and authority made accusations against a young man that proved false. They focused all of their time and energy on these accusations. In the meantime, they ignored this man's pain, which seemed so obvious to me. Many people were wounded and this man continues to struggle with great pain that has not been addressed. The men who made the accusations are just now beginning to repent, but I can't help but wonder if repentance has come too late to change this man's fate.
Almost 2 years ago now, I met a young man who told me he that he hated himself. He would not identify why, telling me that it was too shameful. He talked around the subject for many weeks and always landed at the conclusion that he would be judged and rejected if people knew what he had done. He killed himself rather than bring his sins and struggles into the light for others to see.
It's often been said that pride is the most destructive of all sins. As I spoke with that distraught man the other day, it struck me that the truth of this lies in a single fact. Pride keeps us from self discovery, exploration, growth, depth, healing and acceptance of our need for a Savior. Pride prevents repentance. Pride prevents community and erodes relationships. Pride prevents the dark night of the soul when you realize that what you are and what you were called to be are vastly different. Pride keeps you from recognizing that you are fallen, broken, and need restoration. The other interesting thing I noticed about pride the other day is that pride is rooted in insecurity. I was struck by the reality that the man who spouted his achievements wanted to kill himself. The man who rattled off his accomplishments drastically misses the mark on wisdom. The men in authority focused on one false accusation because of how it would make them look if the accusation proved accurate. The young man who killed himself rather than confess did so to avoid being seen and known.
It angers me that our sinful nature prevents us from seeing the deadly effects of pride in our lives. We seek self sufficiency. We seek to save face. We seek to make much of ourselves. And all the while, we have a Savior who will gladly be our justifier, our restorer, our advocate, our redeemer. Alas, to make room for Him, we must release the pride. This is far better but our pride keeps us from believing it. And this oxymoron is Satan's great joy. It saddens me.
I long for the day when pride will no longer have any power. In the mean time, I will continue to place my hope in the One that has conquered all and plead with Him to break my pride and bring me near to Himself.
Then, later in the same day, I listened as an acquaintance of mine spoke of his great accomplishments. He spoke of his rank in school as a child. He spoke of his great achievements in school. He spoke of the places he's been and the things he's done. He spoke of his wealth. And yet, I know one important fact about this individual. While he has great knowledge, he lacks wisdom. He lacks the ability to apply the things he knows in ways that can help bring fulfillment to his life and the lives of those around him. This man knows the Lord, yet I was struck by how eerily similar he sounded to the first man with whom I had spoken.
Recently, I experienced a situation where some individuals in a position of power and authority made accusations against a young man that proved false. They focused all of their time and energy on these accusations. In the meantime, they ignored this man's pain, which seemed so obvious to me. Many people were wounded and this man continues to struggle with great pain that has not been addressed. The men who made the accusations are just now beginning to repent, but I can't help but wonder if repentance has come too late to change this man's fate.
Almost 2 years ago now, I met a young man who told me he that he hated himself. He would not identify why, telling me that it was too shameful. He talked around the subject for many weeks and always landed at the conclusion that he would be judged and rejected if people knew what he had done. He killed himself rather than bring his sins and struggles into the light for others to see.
It's often been said that pride is the most destructive of all sins. As I spoke with that distraught man the other day, it struck me that the truth of this lies in a single fact. Pride keeps us from self discovery, exploration, growth, depth, healing and acceptance of our need for a Savior. Pride prevents repentance. Pride prevents community and erodes relationships. Pride prevents the dark night of the soul when you realize that what you are and what you were called to be are vastly different. Pride keeps you from recognizing that you are fallen, broken, and need restoration. The other interesting thing I noticed about pride the other day is that pride is rooted in insecurity. I was struck by the reality that the man who spouted his achievements wanted to kill himself. The man who rattled off his accomplishments drastically misses the mark on wisdom. The men in authority focused on one false accusation because of how it would make them look if the accusation proved accurate. The young man who killed himself rather than confess did so to avoid being seen and known.
It angers me that our sinful nature prevents us from seeing the deadly effects of pride in our lives. We seek self sufficiency. We seek to save face. We seek to make much of ourselves. And all the while, we have a Savior who will gladly be our justifier, our restorer, our advocate, our redeemer. Alas, to make room for Him, we must release the pride. This is far better but our pride keeps us from believing it. And this oxymoron is Satan's great joy. It saddens me.
I long for the day when pride will no longer have any power. In the mean time, I will continue to place my hope in the One that has conquered all and plead with Him to break my pride and bring me near to Himself.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Miracles
I have always enjoyed the times in my life when I have had the opportunity to witness miracles. Whether big or small, I never get used to experiencing miracles in this life. I know that many people think miracles don't happen, but my life experiences have shown me that they do!
Every day, it seems, I experience the small miracles of seeing people's lives change in drastic and beautiful ways. As a counselor, I think that every time someone has an "AHA!" moment when they finally see things rightly for the first time, every time someone experiences unconditional acceptance and this changes life, and every time someone experiences healing from years of pain and hurt, this is a miracle.
I have experienced these miracles in my own life as well. I have been able to experience great healing and grace in relationships and I believe that without God's hand, this healing would not be possible.
Of course, many people identify birth as a miracle. I so enjoy seeing and holding newborns because it shows me the power of God. The tiny hands, feet, mouth, and all the moving parts made perfectly are truly remarkable.
But, there have been 2 times in my life that I have experienced a life altering miracle. It's so interesting to me that the big "the laws of nature don't account for this" kind of miracles can be so unnerving. And yet, at least in my life, this is my experience.
The first big miracle I experienced occurred when I was 22. I was in a horrible car accident on the highway one night. Me and my 4 passengers stood in the left lane of the highway for 30 minutes at the bottom of a hill at 2 AM waiting for rescue workers to help us. When the rescue workers came, they told us that they took so long because no one survives an accident at that particular location. They asked us multiple times if we were the ones in the accident because they could not believe that we were all alive and uninjured. I walked away praising God and yet also experiencing symptoms of PTSD. Why? Because what happened that night did not fit my beliefs about life or God. I did not know how to process and integrate this event and it took some hard work for me to be able to see God rightly as a God who stops time, bends the laws of nature, consumes a bush with fire without it being burned up, feeds His people for years with manna in the wilderness, and raises the dead.
I, like many others, had always thought too little of God, saying that while He might have done those things in the past, surely He would not, dare I say could not, do those things in the present day. I don't know about you, but I know that I have always had a hard time believing beyond any doubts that the things I read in the Scriptures really, truly happened!
Last week, I had the opportunity to experience once again the power, greatness, and Majesty of my God. One of my closest friends learned about a month ago that her husband had a large brain tumor in his head. They scheduled surgery which got canceled twice and then changed doctors and had another MRI done. Please note that there were 3 MRIs done initially and all 3 showed the tumor. The MRI done a week ago showed NO TUMOR, only a 1 centimeter cyst where the tumor once existed! Many, many people had been praying for this answer for several weeks and yet, seeing God's power still shocks me!
Here's the thing I love most about God. Even when He performs miracles, He shows His grace and mercy for His children. It's as if He knew that the questions that would arise from having 3 MRIs show a tumor and 1 show no tumor would be, "Is this the right MRI?" I LOVE that He left a 1 centimeter cyst in my friend's brain to be gracious unto His children who are prone to doubt.
I am glad to say that I worship this God.
Every day, it seems, I experience the small miracles of seeing people's lives change in drastic and beautiful ways. As a counselor, I think that every time someone has an "AHA!" moment when they finally see things rightly for the first time, every time someone experiences unconditional acceptance and this changes life, and every time someone experiences healing from years of pain and hurt, this is a miracle.
I have experienced these miracles in my own life as well. I have been able to experience great healing and grace in relationships and I believe that without God's hand, this healing would not be possible.
Of course, many people identify birth as a miracle. I so enjoy seeing and holding newborns because it shows me the power of God. The tiny hands, feet, mouth, and all the moving parts made perfectly are truly remarkable.
But, there have been 2 times in my life that I have experienced a life altering miracle. It's so interesting to me that the big "the laws of nature don't account for this" kind of miracles can be so unnerving. And yet, at least in my life, this is my experience.
The first big miracle I experienced occurred when I was 22. I was in a horrible car accident on the highway one night. Me and my 4 passengers stood in the left lane of the highway for 30 minutes at the bottom of a hill at 2 AM waiting for rescue workers to help us. When the rescue workers came, they told us that they took so long because no one survives an accident at that particular location. They asked us multiple times if we were the ones in the accident because they could not believe that we were all alive and uninjured. I walked away praising God and yet also experiencing symptoms of PTSD. Why? Because what happened that night did not fit my beliefs about life or God. I did not know how to process and integrate this event and it took some hard work for me to be able to see God rightly as a God who stops time, bends the laws of nature, consumes a bush with fire without it being burned up, feeds His people for years with manna in the wilderness, and raises the dead.
I, like many others, had always thought too little of God, saying that while He might have done those things in the past, surely He would not, dare I say could not, do those things in the present day. I don't know about you, but I know that I have always had a hard time believing beyond any doubts that the things I read in the Scriptures really, truly happened!
Last week, I had the opportunity to experience once again the power, greatness, and Majesty of my God. One of my closest friends learned about a month ago that her husband had a large brain tumor in his head. They scheduled surgery which got canceled twice and then changed doctors and had another MRI done. Please note that there were 3 MRIs done initially and all 3 showed the tumor. The MRI done a week ago showed NO TUMOR, only a 1 centimeter cyst where the tumor once existed! Many, many people had been praying for this answer for several weeks and yet, seeing God's power still shocks me!
Here's the thing I love most about God. Even when He performs miracles, He shows His grace and mercy for His children. It's as if He knew that the questions that would arise from having 3 MRIs show a tumor and 1 show no tumor would be, "Is this the right MRI?" I LOVE that He left a 1 centimeter cyst in my friend's brain to be gracious unto His children who are prone to doubt.
I am glad to say that I worship this God.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Bayley's Birthday Present
When we got Bayley, we had no way to know how old she was. The vet told us she was probably between 9 months and 1 year old when we adopted her in April 2010.
In July 2010, we experienced a week of AWFUL behavior out of our dog including vigorously chasing flies, urinating EVERYWHERE, and chewing on all things hers and otherwise. Eventually, we discovered that our sweet puppy was in heat. Aha! That explained everything. So, we set up an appt. to get her spayed and determined that at this time, she must have been about a year. We decided to go by the rule that a puppy's second heat occurs at about 1 year of age. So, my husband and I (or mostly just I) decided to create Bayley's birthday (for celebration purposes) on July 24, which is the day that we had Bayley spayed.
So, if we were to do that whole, "One year ago today" thing, last year a week ago, Bayley was chewing on everything in the house, chasing bugs religiously, and urinating everywhere. She had a really great reason for it though, since she was in heat.
This year, Bayley decided to remind us of what that week was like. Over the past week, Bayley has chewed up 2 large pieces of plastic, several Kleenox, multiple pieces of paper, and has struggled greatly in the obedience department. I assumed she just needed some additional exercise since we have been so busy recently that we have not had a chance to go to the dog park with her. So, we have began playing with her duck outside with her more and have tried to be more diligent with walking her. Even so, Bayley has been full of energy and disobedience!
An aside, I have become more and more convinced that there is nothing that releases Bayley's energy like the dog park. I think the dog park gives her such a great chance to socialize with people and dogs alike as well as track around and so, if she has gone for more than a week without going to the dog park, we see some difficulties in obedience start to emerge.
So, on Sunday evening, in celebration of Bayley's birthday, my husband and I (or mostly just I) sang Bayley Happy Birthday and gave her a yummy dehydrated chicken tender. We (or I) then gave her a new stuffed animal, a rabbit, and ran around the house playing for about 15 minutes. Now, if I have never mentioned this before, Bayley LOVES her stuffed animals. However, once she senses any weakness in them, she kills them. Apparently, and much to my dismay, the rabbit must have been quite weak because within 15 minutes of receiving the toy, she disemboweled it. Sad day for the rabbit.
Then, we went to bed. Bayley came and slept in the bed with us as she usually does. I had to go on a crisis call and came home at 5 AM. I climbed into the bed so thankful to finally be able to get into my bed and sleep for at least a few hours before heading to work. And, upon climbing into bed, I immediately jumped out of bed again! The bed was soaked.
Yep, you guessed it. Bayley's birthday present to her mom and dad was to pee in the bed. Guess she wanted to remind us of her first birthday.
If this is how Bayley celebrates birthdays, maybe we'll stick to celebrating adoption day instead.
In July 2010, we experienced a week of AWFUL behavior out of our dog including vigorously chasing flies, urinating EVERYWHERE, and chewing on all things hers and otherwise. Eventually, we discovered that our sweet puppy was in heat. Aha! That explained everything. So, we set up an appt. to get her spayed and determined that at this time, she must have been about a year. We decided to go by the rule that a puppy's second heat occurs at about 1 year of age. So, my husband and I (or mostly just I) decided to create Bayley's birthday (for celebration purposes) on July 24, which is the day that we had Bayley spayed.
So, if we were to do that whole, "One year ago today" thing, last year a week ago, Bayley was chewing on everything in the house, chasing bugs religiously, and urinating everywhere. She had a really great reason for it though, since she was in heat.
This year, Bayley decided to remind us of what that week was like. Over the past week, Bayley has chewed up 2 large pieces of plastic, several Kleenox, multiple pieces of paper, and has struggled greatly in the obedience department. I assumed she just needed some additional exercise since we have been so busy recently that we have not had a chance to go to the dog park with her. So, we have began playing with her duck outside with her more and have tried to be more diligent with walking her. Even so, Bayley has been full of energy and disobedience!
An aside, I have become more and more convinced that there is nothing that releases Bayley's energy like the dog park. I think the dog park gives her such a great chance to socialize with people and dogs alike as well as track around and so, if she has gone for more than a week without going to the dog park, we see some difficulties in obedience start to emerge.
So, on Sunday evening, in celebration of Bayley's birthday, my husband and I (or mostly just I) sang Bayley Happy Birthday and gave her a yummy dehydrated chicken tender. We (or I) then gave her a new stuffed animal, a rabbit, and ran around the house playing for about 15 minutes. Now, if I have never mentioned this before, Bayley LOVES her stuffed animals. However, once she senses any weakness in them, she kills them. Apparently, and much to my dismay, the rabbit must have been quite weak because within 15 minutes of receiving the toy, she disemboweled it. Sad day for the rabbit.
Then, we went to bed. Bayley came and slept in the bed with us as she usually does. I had to go on a crisis call and came home at 5 AM. I climbed into the bed so thankful to finally be able to get into my bed and sleep for at least a few hours before heading to work. And, upon climbing into bed, I immediately jumped out of bed again! The bed was soaked.
Yep, you guessed it. Bayley's birthday present to her mom and dad was to pee in the bed. Guess she wanted to remind us of her first birthday.
If this is how Bayley celebrates birthdays, maybe we'll stick to celebrating adoption day instead.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Bayley's Dinner Guests
Bayley LOVES to entertain. Any time we have visitors at the house, she gets so excited that someone has come to visit her. Bayley cheerfully greets our visitors with lots of jumping, running, and general mayhem (that is, once we let her loose). So, you can imagine how great Bayley's delight when we had several guests over for dinner last week.
My coworkers and I enjoy each other's company enough that sometimes, we get together outside of work. Recently, we decided that we would have a monthly dinner for the group of us that have become good friends. It's my family, my sweet German coworker and her family, my spunky Vietnamese coworker and her family, and my always supportive, now works in Lewisville, coworker and her boyfriend. My sweet German coworker has been hounding me for months to make her homemade pasta, so when we decided to do a monthly dinner, I quickly volunteered my house for the first of the gatherings.
I planned, I prepared, I cleaned, I shopped, and I cooked. In short, I got excited! I like company just as much as Bayley, I think! On the day of the big event, I spent all day making pasta. I made homemade meatballs, tomato sauce, pesto sauce, and lots of noodles, both gluten free and regular. One thing you have to understand about homemade pasta is that it is a lot of preparation work. First, you make the dough and then you let it sit for a few hours. After this, you roll the dough into long strips and finally you cut the dough into the noodles. Bayley loves when I make pasta from scratch because invariably, some scrap noodles fall on the floor and she takes great delight in this.
So, as I was rolling the noodles on the day in question, Bayley was laying at attention in the dining room, maybe 10 feet from my work space. I had rolled several strips of pasta and they were lying out on the counter waiting for the next step. I saw Bayley eying the pasta quite surreptitiously but was not at all prepared for what happened next. Of the several pieces laid out on the counter, one piece was hanging just a few inches over the edge of the counter. When rolling pasta, one needs both hands: one to hold the pasta to feed it through the roller and one to hold the pasta as it comes out the other side. I think my clever pouch observed this fact and, taking advantage of timing,made her move. All of a sudden, while I was mid roll through a piece of pasta, Bayley darts over, quick as lightening, jumps up to the counter, grabs the piece of pasta hanging over the edge of the counter, and carries it off to the dining room with her. Shocked and amazed, I dropped my pasta, ran after her and grabbed the kidnapped piece away from Bayley. She looked up at me innocently but responded immediately when I told her, "Go lay down." Bayley dejected went to lay in her crate where I made her stay for the next several minutes.
After this adventure, I became nervous about Bayley's behavior once guests began to arrive. Hoping she would behave herself, I continued to prepare for dinner. And then, the time came. All my guests began to come to the door. Among the guests were my spunky Vietnamese coworker's 2 year old and my sweet German coworker's 8 month old. Of these two guests I was particularly nervous due to the uncertainty about my dog's behavior.
Dinner progressed wonderfully, however. Bayley loved her guests, especially the 2 year old and 8 month old. The two year old chased Bayley through the house all night. And Bayley chased the 8 month old around the floor. The kids also truly enjoyed Bayley's toys, most notably her Kong (much to their parents' chagrin). Bayley enjoyed sniffing the kid's toys but did not touch. Overall, I was quite proud of my dog! She even handled it like a champ when we had to lock her crate and put up her water dish because the 8 month old wanted to play in both of them.
My guests went home, I praised my dog, and we all went to bed. The next day, I was going about my normal daily tasks when Bayley came into the room, playfully happy, and dropped at my feet a new toy. Upon inspection, I realized it was a small, red triangle that belongs to one of the 8 month old's toys. I praised Bayley for bringing me the toy and put it away to give to my sweet German coworker the next day.
Upon arriving at work the next day, I proudly present to my sweet German coworker the found triangle and make her guess where I found it. She says, "In her water bowl? In her crate? In her toy box?" I tell her, "In her mouth! She brought it to me!" My coworker's reply? "It was really nice of her to bring it to you because we looked all over the house for it before we left and couldn't find it. I think she hid it."
Bayley does have a habit of hiding her toys around the house, so I just had to laugh.
That Bayley, she sure is sneaky.
My coworkers and I enjoy each other's company enough that sometimes, we get together outside of work. Recently, we decided that we would have a monthly dinner for the group of us that have become good friends. It's my family, my sweet German coworker and her family, my spunky Vietnamese coworker and her family, and my always supportive, now works in Lewisville, coworker and her boyfriend. My sweet German coworker has been hounding me for months to make her homemade pasta, so when we decided to do a monthly dinner, I quickly volunteered my house for the first of the gatherings.
I planned, I prepared, I cleaned, I shopped, and I cooked. In short, I got excited! I like company just as much as Bayley, I think! On the day of the big event, I spent all day making pasta. I made homemade meatballs, tomato sauce, pesto sauce, and lots of noodles, both gluten free and regular. One thing you have to understand about homemade pasta is that it is a lot of preparation work. First, you make the dough and then you let it sit for a few hours. After this, you roll the dough into long strips and finally you cut the dough into the noodles. Bayley loves when I make pasta from scratch because invariably, some scrap noodles fall on the floor and she takes great delight in this.
So, as I was rolling the noodles on the day in question, Bayley was laying at attention in the dining room, maybe 10 feet from my work space. I had rolled several strips of pasta and they were lying out on the counter waiting for the next step. I saw Bayley eying the pasta quite surreptitiously but was not at all prepared for what happened next. Of the several pieces laid out on the counter, one piece was hanging just a few inches over the edge of the counter. When rolling pasta, one needs both hands: one to hold the pasta to feed it through the roller and one to hold the pasta as it comes out the other side. I think my clever pouch observed this fact and, taking advantage of timing,made her move. All of a sudden, while I was mid roll through a piece of pasta, Bayley darts over, quick as lightening, jumps up to the counter, grabs the piece of pasta hanging over the edge of the counter, and carries it off to the dining room with her. Shocked and amazed, I dropped my pasta, ran after her and grabbed the kidnapped piece away from Bayley. She looked up at me innocently but responded immediately when I told her, "Go lay down." Bayley dejected went to lay in her crate where I made her stay for the next several minutes.
After this adventure, I became nervous about Bayley's behavior once guests began to arrive. Hoping she would behave herself, I continued to prepare for dinner. And then, the time came. All my guests began to come to the door. Among the guests were my spunky Vietnamese coworker's 2 year old and my sweet German coworker's 8 month old. Of these two guests I was particularly nervous due to the uncertainty about my dog's behavior.
Dinner progressed wonderfully, however. Bayley loved her guests, especially the 2 year old and 8 month old. The two year old chased Bayley through the house all night. And Bayley chased the 8 month old around the floor. The kids also truly enjoyed Bayley's toys, most notably her Kong (much to their parents' chagrin). Bayley enjoyed sniffing the kid's toys but did not touch. Overall, I was quite proud of my dog! She even handled it like a champ when we had to lock her crate and put up her water dish because the 8 month old wanted to play in both of them.
My guests went home, I praised my dog, and we all went to bed. The next day, I was going about my normal daily tasks when Bayley came into the room, playfully happy, and dropped at my feet a new toy. Upon inspection, I realized it was a small, red triangle that belongs to one of the 8 month old's toys. I praised Bayley for bringing me the toy and put it away to give to my sweet German coworker the next day.
Upon arriving at work the next day, I proudly present to my sweet German coworker the found triangle and make her guess where I found it. She says, "In her water bowl? In her crate? In her toy box?" I tell her, "In her mouth! She brought it to me!" My coworker's reply? "It was really nice of her to bring it to you because we looked all over the house for it before we left and couldn't find it. I think she hid it."
Bayley does have a habit of hiding her toys around the house, so I just had to laugh.
That Bayley, she sure is sneaky.
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