Cherub Learns Lesson #51 About God

I know I use this column for (unsolicited) advice, but this is too good not to share.  A young couple in our church were going to have a baby and, shortly before his birth, learned he would have Spina Bifida.  You can imagine the shock, the desire to learn what it meant followed by more shock. They learned to lean hard on God and that, while God doesn't always give us answers, He's always good!  Mrs. Teacher wrote a story to help Ker-bear and Scasmflop (he chose the nickname, not I!) to always remember God's goodness and read it at her baby shower.... and had everyone of us sniffling and boo-hooing right along with Ker-bear because it was such a good story.  I've been given permission to share it and so I do.  Here is "Cherub Learns Lesson #51 About God"

It was a BUSY day in Heaven! Oh my, so much was happening!  That meant that there were so many things to record in his big book that Angel had been sitting at his desk working steadily for... well... for quite a long while!

All of a sudden, Angel heard a sound he knew very well.  His young friend, Cherub, was coming his way.  Well, not just coming his way, but galloping like a runaway horse AND yelling very loudly at the same time.

"Angel, Angel!"  Cherub slowed to a fast trot as he breathlessly called out "Angel! Angellll! Are you here, Angel!?" 

As Angel stood up to welcome Cherub, Cherub BURST through the door and ran smack-dab into Angel! They rolled across the floor, robes, legs and arms spinning in wide circles.  Before Angel could pull his robes down over his knees, Cherub bounced up beside him, talking very loudly and very fast.

"Angel, God has another baby almost ready to go to earth!  But, Angel, I was watching, and He's not finished with the baby, and He doesn't know it because He's already started His Special Blessing Song.  Oh, Angel, help me tell God the baby isn't done yet! Please, Angel, we have to hurry!  Otherwise God will make a mistake!"

At this remark, Angel knew it was lesson time again.  Yes, indeed, it was time for Lesson #51 about God.

"Come along, Cherub."  said Angel, holding out his hand so that Cherub would lead him directly to where God was at work.  Cherub chattered excitedly about the new baby as they hurried to a special valley known in Heaven as "Babies Place".  As they entered, Someone was singing in a soft voice.

"God your Father loves you so,

Loves you so,

Loves you so.

God your Father loves you so

Now off to earth you go."

Cherub yelled before he even knew what he was doing!  "NO!"  And then, because he was terrified, he hid behind Angel's robes, hoping that God couldn't see him.  But Angel knew Cherub had to learn lesson #51, and so he reached behind his back, caught Cherub's arm and pulled his young friend around to face God.

God was looking right at him!  Then He spoke right to him, "Cherub, do you have something to tell Me?"

Cherub pointed to the baby boy in God's arms and blurted "God, that baby You're holding isn't finished!  Don't send it to its home on earth yet!"

God gazed down at the baby boy and then looked up.  "Yes, Cherub, this little boy is ready to got to his home on earth.  His Mommy's name is Karen and his Daddy's name is Bob.  They are waiting for him right now."

"But, God, his back isn't finished and his feet need a little more work!  Can't you please just finish him before he has to go?"

"Cherub, would you like to hold him?  His name is Carson."

Cherub looked up at Angel who nodded his head yes.  Cherub ran to sit beside God, but God pulled him right onto His lap and put little baby Carson in Cherub's arms!

God began speaking so softly that only Cherub could hear His voice.  "Cherub, you are very young.  Some things are not going to make sense to you right now.  Cherub, do you trust Me?"

As he thought about his answer, Cherub counted the baby's tiny fingers - yes, there were ten.  "Yes, I trust You."

"Will you trust Me even though you don't understand what I am doing in Carson's life?"

Cherub counted Carson's toes - yes, there were ten.  "Yes."

"Carson's mommy and daddy already know that Carson will need some finishing work on his back and feet.  But, Cherub, they know, and they already love him so much, they can hardly wait for his arrival."

Cherub continued touching the baby's soft skin.  "They know he's not finished but they love him anyway? Really God?"

"Yes, really."  God and Cherub looked at each other, and then Cherub hugged God's neck with all his might.  "God, I do trust you.  I'm sorry I yelled at you.  Will you forgive me?"

God hugged Cherub very closely and said in his ear, "You are forgiven, Cherub.  Now, would you like to sing My Special Blessing Song with Me before Carson goes to meet his mommy and daddy?"

As they watched Carson being whooshed over the edge of Heaven, carried in his guardian angel's protective arms, God and Cherub blended their voices in joyous song (of course, Cherub sang the loudest!)

God your Father loves you so,

Loves you so,

Loves you so.

God your Father loves you so

Now off to earth you go!

Later, as Angel and Cherub walked back (well, Angel walked, but Cherub - he ran back and forth looking at all the flowers beside the path), Angel asked Cherub, "What did you learn about God today?"

Although Cherub continued to examine a big yellow sunflower, he answered immediately and loudly, "God never makes mistakes!"

"Cherub, one more thing you might like to hear is a chorus that Carson's mommy and daddy learned as a choir song at their church.  It goes like this:"

God is too wise to be mistaken,

God is too good to be unkind.

For when you don't understand,

When you don't see His plan,

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His heart.

After a rare moment of silence, Cherub asked "Angel, isn't that like Proverbs 3:5 and 6?"

And, of course, it is.

THE END (for now)

By the way, the little Sweet Potato is over 3 months old now..... Does this look like God made a mistake to you?!?

Also by the way, if you know someone who has Spina Bifida kids, or who knows someone who knows someone.... This is a good web site for information, support and connecting with other parents of Spina Bifida kids.  It's wonderful!

http://spinabifidakids.blogspot.com/

Top Ten Suggestions For Driving Like An Idiot

10.  Talk or text on your cell phone while driving at speed.

9.    While talking to your passengers look at them, not the road.

8.    While talking, use frequent hand gestures to illustrate your point.  Gesturing with both hands is ideal.

7.    Change lanes at the same time you turn on your blinker. Do not check to see if next lane is clear. Ignore any honking you may hear, obviously they were in your way.

6.    Weave recklessly in and out of traffic at 20mph over the speed limit. Scream at the other drivers for not getting out of your way.

5.    When you see a highway patrol officer, come to an almost complete stop in the fast lane.  Do not move out of anyone's way as you do this.

4.    When you are in the fast lane and see you are about to pass your exit, cut across traffic to reach it.  Go over the median if you need to.

3.    Do not use the cruise control while driving on the freeway.  If someone tries to pass you, you will be able to quickly speed up.  Of course, then you will need to slow down again to conserve fuel.

2.    Drive with your head in the clouds.  Long trips on the freeway can get boring and monotonous.  Use your imagination and look at your surroundings rather than the road as you drive.

......and the number one suggestion for driving like an idiot:

1.    Get in, start the car and pull out of your driveway.

**Why, nooooooo.  I haven't been on the road with any idiots recently.  Why would you think that?  0,o*

The Gray Ghost Eats It All

We have in our home a beast known as a Weimaraner.  They're beautiful dogs in the Sight Hound Hunter family and are usually a cool silver coloring with eyes that are an unusual yellow color as adults.  They are graceful, aristocratic, love kids and are usually gentle whenever encountering someone who is in some way physically challenged.  They are also known as The Gray Ghost because of their unusual coloring and they way they hunt.  Jack is known as The Gray Rat!

That darn dog eats anything he can get his lips around! And I DO mean anything!  He's what our family has come to call a "counter surfer".  That means if you leave something on the counter, be sure it's far enough from any edge that the Gray Rat can't reach it!  I've lost a lambskin hat to The Rat.  The Squirt has lost several pairs of hosiery and we've all lost innumerable socks, kitchen towls, napkins, shoes, shoe inserts, etc. to this walking stomach!  Problem is, most of this stuff isn't good for The Gray Rat's digestive system.  In case you, too, have a counter surfing, laundry sniffing, get-into-whatever-it-can dog, here are a few tips to aid in your beloved Rat's digestive relief.

Hosiery:
When the Squirt lost hers we called the vet (since we didn't want nylon getting lodged in his intestines) and, once the giggling stopped, were told to use Ipecac on him.  Thing is, we didn't have any in the house and it was a Wednesday night, about an hour and a 1/2 before church.  We ran out the door to Walgreen's and bought some Ipecac (and promptly received a lecture from some stranger daring to give our child such a wicked source of evil harm to their little system! Oooooookayeeeee!), then raced home.  Now, the Squirt has trained The Gray Rat to let us hold his head and/or open his mouth, so he was okay when we first did this.  The directions say to give a specific amount, but all we had was a medicine dropper and we ended up having to give two shots of the stuff to get the correct dosage down his throat.  He allowed the first shot of the stuff, but it was nasty and he wasn't about to make the second shot quite as easy! (so be prepared if you have to do this!)

After giving him the correct dosage, we once again read the directions and found it takes twenty minutes to work! Sheesh!  So now, we're following The Gray Rat around to make sure he's outside when this takes effect.  He was, and the look of utter horror on his face as he retched up his stomach's entire contents made us feel like the worst of villans.  Once "The Event" was over, we gave him a little water and set about finishing getting ready to leave for church.

UNTIL!  We heard him making an odd "smacking" sound and realized HE WAS ABOUT TO BARF AGAIN! OUTSIDEOUTSIDEJACKOUTSIDENOW!  We got him out but a word to the wise. Ipecac makes you barf twice.  So, don't think your own beloved Rat is done doing the psychedelic yawn after only once.  And do NOT let him eat right away, either! (sometimes, you learn the hard way.... I don't really recommend it.)

We later learned another truth.  Like it or not, nylon will work it's way through a dog's intestines and no harm to the dog.  However, you will have to "assist" your dog's attempts to relieve himself of this undigestable mass.  It doesn't like to exit the rectal area on it's own and he will look at you with panic in his eyes over this THING hanging from his tuckus! Make sure he's OUTSIDE! and have several pairs of latex gloves for your hands as well as a bag to put this ICK into.  Plus, remember, nylon streeeeeeeeeetches!  So it's nice to have an assistant if possible.... although it's not always, as my dad found out.  Welcome to my world, Dad (snerk!)

Kitchen towels and/or socks:
Yes, he will eat these if given the chance.  Once again, this will actually make its way through his digestive tract (providing this is an on-the-large-side medium sized dog... or the towel/sock has been well shredded).  And, once again, depending on the amount of shredding, you may have to "assist" your dog by removing the shredded ICK from his tuckus.  To assist in the so-called digestive progress, it's a nice idea to give your dog a tablespoon of olive oil a couple of times a day until he passes his latest non-meal.  In fact, olive oil is a good thing to add to your dogs' meals on a daily basis as it helps keep his skin healthy and flake free and his coat soft and shiny.  But, on those (hopefully rare) days he decides he needs the extra fiber, give him at least 1 tablespoon extra per day.  It just makes it easier to get through and, hey! You may be lucky enough to NOT have to "help things along", as it were.

Chocolate:
We've all heard that chocolate is poison to your dogs' system.  It is.  If you happen to own a Dachshund, however, this is not as scary as it might seem.  We've owned two in my lifetime and I know others who have them as well.  It seems Doxies have cast-iron stomachs and can (and WILL) eat just about anything, too.  ESPECIALLY chocolate.  I know one over in Belgium that raided the suitcase of a couple visiting with her owners and ate two bags of chocolate.  My own Doxie ate at least a bag and a half of Hershey's Kisses (not at the same time).  In each of these two cases the only result was the dogs pooped colored tinfoil for a week.  This is not to say it's okay to feed your dog chocolate.  It's not.  Not even to a Doxie!  I'm just saying, don't panic if they get into it.  If your dog has eaten chocolate, call your vet. Depending on how recent the ingestion was you may be told to feed her Ipecac.  Hmm.... I'm seeing a pattern here.  Perhaps now would be a good time to say Ipecac would be a good thing to have in your (locked!) medicine cabinet.  Just in case!

Finally, have a sense of humor, people.  Dogs are like kids (only furrier!), they get into everything!  It does not get better with age, in their case.  They don't stop being nosey, they just slow down a little.  The Gray Rat is six, now, but he still eats the occasional sock (or whatever) just to keep us on our toes.

Hey, Squirt? Where's the Ipecac!?