Ragamuffin

I think I'll write about my dog today. I've sprinkled a mention of Ginger here and there - which hardly gives her the credit she deserves. She is, after all, my greatest fan.

We adopted our "Minger" almost a year ago last October. After going years without having a dog, it was time to open our hearts up again to one so furry. Years earlier, my dog Sammy (who I had for over ten years) got out of our gate shortly after we moved to Turlock - and she never came back. My heart was broken. I literally cried for three days.

It was the middle of January, during the really cold and rainy season. Mark drove all over Turlock and the surrounding cities trying to find that stupid dog. She was a wanderer alright . . . a min pin with a very short attention span. One mingle out of the yard cost her and us everything.

So needless to say, we have needed time to mend that wound. To make things even worse, I made one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made, and I decided to make an emotional purchase. While looking for Sammy at the animal shelter, once I had pretty much given up on finding her, I decided to adopt a little orphan puppy. She had markings similar to Sammy, and she seemed to be just what this broken heart needed in order to mend.

I think the saying goes something like, "And to add salt to the wound . . ." this little puppy died a horribly painful death from Parvo a few weeks later. That did it. No more dogs for this family for a long time.

Aside from getting over two tragedies in a row, Mark and I had decided to wait until we were finished with diapers and doohickeys (for the kids I mean). Makayla had just turned four, and was pretty self sufficient in the potty area. So, after some research, and much eye batting on my part, Ginger was welcomed into the family.

After speaking with the breeder over the phone, the kids and I took a trip up to Ripon to have a look. The woman had seven puppies, and we were the first family to arrive. While we were driving up to pick out a new family member, I remember feeling elated. A new baby to bring home! I knew that I would probably have to get up in the middle of the night to check on her, and that she would need to be house trained and comforted like all little babies do.

As we walked into that kitchen, I felt a little bit hesitant about the idea of adding more responsibility to my list of duties. But once glimpse of that fur ball and all of my anxieties evaporated. She was the pick of the litter, and she was going home with us!

Ginger has proven to be a great fit for our family. She has a great temperament, although at times can be a little bit stubborn and even sassy. What do you expect? She's female. She is not like any dog I have ever known. And I have seen a lot of dogs. Ginger definitely thinks she is one of "the people", and that she should be treated as such.

She likes to follow me around the house and lick my feet. This can be annoying at times, especially just after I step out of the shower - yuck! But aside from a couple of annoying habits, she is nice to have around. She is a great guard dog, but a chicken at heart underneath all of that noisy bark. A basket of her "babies" rests underneath one of our end tables. She loves to pull one out and chew on it.

I never understood why God allowed such heart brake during that rainy season. Sometimes we all go through storms that don't ever make sense. But what I did learn, was to trust that sometimes God's answer is "no", and sometimes it is "wait". I rest today in the goodness of God, not because He came to my rescue all those years ago - but because of His silence. There is something remarkable when faith pushes past the seeming absence of God.

These days, God has blessed us with a great companion in Ginger. There are times when fear kicks in, and I find myself checking to make sure the gate is closed a couple of times a day. That heart brake will never fully go away. But God has healed most of my wound, over time.

Like yesterday's post, a brokenness leads to new appreciation. At the end of the day, God uses my little ragamuffin to warm my lap - and to heal my heart.