The Restorative Son

The rain finally stopped. The Catawba is nearly at flood stage level, and residents along the river are watching closely. But in the nick of time, the rain seems to have ended yesterday. I don't live along the river, but I was glad the rain had stopped. All the weary gray days have been hard, not only for the dismal circumstances of their passing.

I walked my lame dog slowly outside. She hopped on three legs, then sank gratefully into the warm grass. As the sun caressed her gold coat, she nibbled on the grass. She'd been crated all day, and was grateful to be out. She looked content. It was supposed to be a potty break, but she seemed to want to just lie there, so I pulled up a porch chair and sat with her in the sun. Lucky came out too and lay nearby. My back ached from carrying Honeybun the past three days so she wouldn't have to walk. Lucky is getting old and is always a little stiff. And poor Honeybun with her partially torn ligament can barely walk at all. But any passerby would have thought we all looked perfectly happy and content, soaking in the restorative warmth of the sun.

And for that moment, I think all three of us were. If only I were a solar panel, which I had recently been reading about. If only I could store all that energy for the dark days that inevitably came and then shine the light to guide my footsteps through the gloom.

"You can", whispered an inaudible voice on the breeze, "Let my Son shine in your heart."

I went online later and found a splint that claims to support the injured canine knee and allow them to weight bear without pain. It is not cheap, but we are thinking about it. One dog friend told us it is a good option, and a second told us it is a waste of money. One dog friend told me to just do the surgery; another said the surgery isn't worth it - the injury always reflares. So with all this conflicting information, we are not sure what to do. Here is a very good time for God to let the Son shine in the darkness and light the way, I thought, settling down to wait for an answer.

(PS- if you are dog expert with experience with cruciate ligament injury and the success of splinting, please let me know- you could be a light in the darkness!)

Psalm 67:1 NIV
[1] May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us---


Psalm 139:9,11-12 NIV
[9] If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, [11] If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” [12] even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.





-save a dog- hollowcreekfarm.org