Posts Tagged: dogs

“Humor During a Serious Plague”

On March 25, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“All the days of the oppressed are wretched,

but he cheerful heart has a continual feast.”  (Proverbs 15:15, New International Version)

Call it a “pandemic,” or call it by an old-fashioned name like a “plague,” or call it macaroni, if you like.  This coronavirus outbreak is a serious matter.  It needs to be treated as such.  In fact, it is well past serious. It left serious in the rearview mirror weeks ago.  It is now downright grim, and likely to become much grimmer.

However, even in times like these, humor is important.  Perhaps especially in times like these, humor is essential.

So, today’s blog post—without glossing over how serious this plague-ish pandemic is—is going to risk (possibly) making you laugh.

First (and this is in the rather grim humor category), is an occurrence from a grocery store whose name shall remain anonymous.  (I will give you a hint: An anagram for the name of the store is rekorg.)

I was in the coffee aisle, with my mask and latex gloves on, trying to find some flavored coffee.  I usually buy whatever is cheapest at General Dollar, but I decided that, since the world was coming to an end, I would treat myself to some nicer coffee.  As I was shelf-reading the coffee aisle, my eyes suddenly were jolted wide open, as if I had just had a double-shot of espresso.  For there on the shelf was a coffee called—and I am not making this up—“DEATH WISH”!  It even had the skull-and-crossbones on the package. Where do coffee companies come up with the names for all these specialty coffees? In view of what we are going through right now, this one should probably be retired.

Second story.

I was sitting in the rocker watching a rerun of Adam-12.  Our little dog was on my lap.  She jumped down.  At the commercial break, I decided to look for her.  I did not even have to get up.  She was standing on the third step of the stairs, right beside the rocker, staring at me.  “What does that look mean?” I asked.  Of course, she did not answer in any language that I know.

“Come back down,” I said to the little black and white creature.  She did.  Then, she leapt back up in my lap, climbed up my arm onto my shoulders and neck, and began licking my bald head.  I laughed and laughed.  Apparently our little dog is not terribly intimidated by the coronavirus.

Third story.

I don’t know if Progressive is really good insurance or not, but they most certainly make good commercials.  Take, for example, the bigfoot commercial.  Before I make any comment, you need to have a look at the commercial, if you are not familiar with it.  You may access it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeavqyDYQtQ.

My wife was very eager to show me this video.  It may have been because she thinks I’m rather full of myself, and always want to be the center of attention.  If this was her thought, she had the decency not to say so.

Or, of course, it may be because my name is Daryl.  And yes, I’m afraid my feet really are pretty big. I am not writing a screen play, but I am a writer.

Go ahead and laugh!  I dare you! In fact, I give you permission!

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“SEEKING AND RESTING”

On March 14, 2018 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.

  2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

  3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD– now and always.” (NLT  Psalm 131:1-3, italics mine)

“All night long I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek for God.” (NLT Isaiah 26:9a, italics mine)

Our puppy is fairly contented a good deal of the time.  Much of the time, she is satisfied with lying on my lap or my wife’s lap for longish periods of time.  Such long contented lies help us to relax as well, I think.  (Besides, she keeps our laps warm!)

However, there are other times when she will not be denied.

Take the other day, for example.  I had her blocked off in the kitchen, while I was lying on the living room floor, doing some stretches.  These exercises help with back and hip problems.  Our puppy paced back and forth in front of the gates that I placed between the kitchen and the living room.

Our little girl is afraid of the gates.  She has succeeded in knocking them down on at least one occasion, and it frightened her pretty badly.  So she tends to stay well back from them.

This time, however, while I was doing my stretches, I noticed her getting closer and closer to the gates.  She stood on her hind legs, whining, trying to get into the living room. Finally, she went to the edge of the door jamb, where there was a small, barely puppy-sized gap.  I just had time to notice the courage and determination in her eyes, before she was in, and I was smothered with kisses on my bald head.

I think that God values those times when we simply rest in him, like a small, weaned child who leans against his or her mother’s breast, but not for food.  After all, as the psalmist says, he is like a weaned child.  Instead of needing anything, the psalmist is leaning against God just for warmth and affection—for God’s presence.  Like any good mother, God loves those times.

But God also values those times when we seek him in spite of all the barriers—real and imaginary—that keep us from God.  He loves that courageous, determined look that precedes us bursting into his presence.

So, rest and seek!  Seek and rest!  Either way, God loves it.  And God loves you!

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