Good-bye Gabe

Good bye Gabe, you good old dog.

In the short time we had you, we got to know your sweet personality. We often talked about what a wonderful dog you would have been had you been given the chance to be a family dog. But that was not your life's work. You probably spent all your life in a kennel helping make amazing puppies. Wish we could meet some of your offspring.

When we took you home, you behaved as if you always belonged in our back yard. You always had a wagging tail and happy smile for us anytime we went outside to see you. You tried fetch and walking on a leash. You loved getting petted. And you didn't really like taking a bath.

The last couple weeks, you had several bad days when it almost seemed like you wouldn't make it to the next. Your companion, Elly, was eating your portion of the food because you weren't in the mood to eat. Some days you ate, but others you smelled the food and left it alone. One day, you didn't even want to come for a treat, which you always wanted even when you didn't want dog food.

Last night, you didn't want to move to go in the shed for the night. So we left you alone and didn't make you go. In the morning, you probably were in the same spot you laid all night. It almost looked like you were not alive, but you were. Your tail didn't wag though; not even when you got petted. And you only shifted your position once in a while.

Sometime between mid-morning and early afternoon, God took you to Happy Hunting Grounds. You deserve to be there enjoying the life every dog should. You didn't get much of a chance to make a home happy or to be made happy by that home. But we are glad to have known you and gotten a chance to have such a grand, stately stud.

Good-bye Gabe.

Change

Change. It's a difficult word and concept for us humans. Especially if we have our mind set on no change. We think of life as a never ending cycle of waking, working, eating and sleeping. Same job, house, friends, and church. And yet...

And yet...God brings change even in nature. Just when one is weary of cold, God sends the warm breezes of spring. And just when you can't take another day of summer, God sends the crisp fall air to refresh the soul.

Change comes to most every one at some point in life. To some it comes multiple times. Some change is pleasant; other changes are not so pleasant. You meet a special someone. The pastor leaves your church. You get a raise at work. Or work turns sour. Someone doesn't stop at the light and runs into your car; or a bad report at the doctor's office. No matter what it is, change brings challenges that are imperative to mold our character. It is up to us to choose whether the molding will be positive or negative.

We can allow changes to bring pointless anxiety and make us bitter. Or, on the flip side, we can look for God's fingerprints in the winds of change and allow Him to make us into the person He wants us to be. He knows what is best for us and how to best use us. Change is not always easy; it will affect not only you, but your family and friends around you. You have to pray and be ready to follow God's leading, no matter what others will say to you or about you. Change is not for the faint-hearted. Change calls for those courageous ones that are willing to trust God with everything, from the house you really like living in, to that precious child you hold in your arms.

Are you at the brink of change? Can you feel the fall breezes blowing the curtains of your life? Embrace the challenge and let God revitalize your life!

Till next time, that is my Florida Tale:)