Perky Hearts

I am not a little dog person, since my mother instilled in me at a young age that anything under 50 pounds is not a dog. I don't know what she thinks they are- but for her, dogs need to be large enough to rip out elbows or require Mack trucks to haul away their week worth of poop. However, while we were on a Resurrection day stroll yesterday, we saw a little dog in the handlebar basket of a bicycle. He was wagging his little tail, and his ears were perked, blowing in the wind. He looked so cheerful and perky that my heart gladdened just to see him.

I am a sucker for perky. I love passion and enthusiasm, pluck and perk. Almost uniformly little dogs have those characteristics, so I disagree with my mom. I think there is a lot to be said for little dogs, not the least of which is they would be unlikely to pull down porch columns if they were tied to one and saw a neighbor's dog walk by.

I like perky in people too. I got an email yesterday from a fellow homeschooler, someone I don't know, and she was bubbling with perk telling us about an upcoming walk to raise money/awareness for Juvenile Diabetes. We have participated in that walk with Asherel's friend who has diabetes. Anyway, the email sender has a son with diabetes, and she was filled with optimism that a cure is very close and asked in a very polite way that if we felt led, to please donate. The letter was so full of hope and optimism and perkiness in the face of what I know are tremendous trials, that I decided I would donate to JD this year.

Anyway, today she sent another group email, her perky heart obviously deflated and grieving. She had not meant to send out such a huge group email, she said, and one person had been upset with her, "blind sided" she wrote, and perky lady apologized up and down about sending us all the email. She said she had been thoughtless in her enthusiasm.

I do not get it. I don't get why anyone would be offended by such a personal and heart felt plea, first of all. Second of all, the beauty of emails is if you don't like it or don't want to read it, you can ignore it or better yet, delete it. What is the big deal? Is it worth bursting a perky heart over, and a perky heart that obviously is heavily burdened for a child she loves and longs to save?

It is frightfully easy to squash hope, and enthusiasm, and perky little dogs. But how much nicer to let them sail in a basket of encouragement and community, with joy bubbling in their wake.

Job 16:4-6 (New International Version)

⁴ I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head at you.

⁵ But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

⁶ "Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.