Saving Malachi

 

 

It's a busy time of year but I want to take the time to tell you about Malachi. Last week I heard about a senior Boxer in great need of a family and immediate medical care. I LOVE Boxers & I LOVE Seniors! He was in a small rural shelter. As I asked questions about him via FB, some generous volunteers came forward to help me out. They offered to pay his pull-fee as well as to help with some vet bills. The boys & I drove out to the shelter to meet him on Thursday am.

 

We found a humble little shelter with the sweetest staff lady. Malachi was old and in rough shape. He had bad, chronic- looking pressure sores on his legs, he was emaciated, someone had cut odd looking notches into both of his soft ears. Oh my heart!

 

 

He was sweet! I temperament tested him thoroughly - lifted up each of his feet, petted him all over, tugged on his leash, stuck my fingers into his mouth. He had no food agression and was OK with my kids (who ran around screaming b/c I asked them to - to see how he'd do) and with other dogs & cats.

 

We took him home.

 

 

 

He rested a lot. He snored! Loudly! :)

He watched me carefully with his big, soulful eyes that could only see just a little still.

 

I took him to my vet early the next morning. I was concerned about some obvious health problems he had that I thought might be serious.

 

They were.

 

I found out that he had a large, cancerous and untreatable internal  tumor, as well as nerve damage. He was in pain and we couldn't cure him.

 

I took him home. He went for car rides (he loved them!), the boys & I fed him (A LOT!), he rested, he went for walks and sniffed lots of neat trees & bushes, he got kissed and snuggled, he gave kisses.

 

And then I took him back to my vet, at the end of the day and let him go to sleep forever with his head cradled on my lap. It was so sad, so difficult and yet so right - he got to be rescued, loved, and cared for and then he got to go to sleep.

 

I miss him a lot today but I'm so glad I got to love on him, if only for a little while.

 

 



The 12:12:12 Update

Things are better. Thanks so very much for praying for us.

 But please don't stop! :)

We so don't want to live a casual Christian life but sometimes we get tired & discouraged.

*My computer died - I have very limited access online access right now

*Our beloved senior dog is really failing - John's building him a ramp tonight to help him get up & down our stairs. (Yeah, my husband is the best guy in the world for me!) Poor old Jake, the Boxer, just can't navigate stairs anymore. I'm taking him to our vet on Friday for an update.

*I've been stressed out lately wondering how in the world we will ever get an addition built and how we will ever get another adoption paid for and that the need is insanely urgent for so many children, I'm not getting any younger...etc etc.

Then I read Proverbs 3:5&6.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him & He will direct your paths."

 

I have it memorized so you would think I'd apply it better to my own life. But anyway, sometimes I need reminders.

So, as I re-read these verses I realized how very much I have been leaning on my own understanding & trying to figure out how I can solve problems that quite honestly, are God-Sized Problems. We will do our best but the rest (pretty much all of it!!) is up to God. I can't think of any other way to process it that makes any sense & gives me any peace.

Does that resonate with anyone else? It's what's on my mind lately...and we're all doing better. :)

Hope

I have been discouraged lately.

I am trying my absolute best to be a good mom, wife, home maker, home schooler, follower of Christ, friend, dog owner, house keeper, adoption fund-raiser, pet-sitter etc. etc. but my best falls so very short of what I hope for and what others might sometimes expect.

House messy despite hours/days of cleaning efforts = check
Meals sporadic despite trying= check
Home schooling ho-hum = check
Appearance  ho-hum = check
Wardrobe ho-hum at best = check
Returning phone calls non-promptly = check
You get the idea..
Etc. etc.

It is so disappointing to do your best and still not hit the mark you were aiming for. I am thinking maybe some of you can relate?

Last weekend we were treated (by my honey's employer) to a wonderful Christmas concert by the Tommy Coombs band. They talked and sang about how Jesus's parents did not have a lot of money, were tired, probably not just a little bit grimy, and were even looked down on because Mary had become pregnant out of wedlock. Then, their baby, my precious Savior Jesus was born in a stinky, dirty stable. There was nothing fancy or sparkly about any of it. There was no "wow-factor" and perhaps Mary & Joseph felt VERY short of the mark they hoped for and wanted for their family.

And out of that terribly un-remarkable, humble situation, God did His biggest, best and most utterly beautiful work. His own dear Son, His rescue- plan for the entire world was born. Doesn't that encourage you? It has meant MUCH to me!

So, I'm giving my Lord my non-perfect home, all my miss-the-mark efforts, and all that I am and have. And I am believing He can do something beautiful with it.

Hope.

Ahhhh.... :)

Body Yogurt

Luke: "Nathan has body yogurt!

Mom: "It's "body odor".

Nathan: "Well, anyways it's good because it scares bad guys away!"

"All Better Now" Update

 

 

 

I'm very thankful to report that John got back from Kenya, we all got better from a crummy virus/infection, and we had a good Thanksgiving all together, just the five of us.

 

Thank You Lord!

 

 

So, I've been reading on Facebook about friends who are already completely finished with their Christmas shopping, have their homes all decorated, and ....who are exercising regularly and losing weight.

 

That is just not me. :(

 

If that is not you either, maybe this update will encourage you:

 

What we have been doing:

 

*home schooling

 

*kissing slightly incontinent, but totally loveable elderly Boxers

 (as above pic shows!)

 

*taking care of stray kittens that poop about every 45 minutes

 

*trying to prep. a house to put on the market so we can build a bigger one & have room for more kiddos - hopefully LOTS more kiddos

 (and yes, this prep. process is taking forever, and no, I am not getting any younger, and yes, it is crazy, ridiculously hard and expensive, and yes, we have counted the cost and we think adopting more kiddos is completely worth it and extremely important, but man, we SURE DO appreciate all encouragement, support & prayer, and we need it too! A lot.)

 

*playing little boy "war" outside in the back yard with Nerf Guns

 

*having camp fires

 

*listening to Christmas music

 

*Christmas shopping = not even started

 

*Christmas cards = photos not even taken

 

*decorating = not even started

 

*continuing to be entirely imperfect people but relying on a completely perfect, trustworthy, loving Heavenly Father

 

 

 

 

 



Ugh.

 

I like to keep things positive in my blog, so here goes....

I am positively weary, weary, weary!

 

 

The boys and I have been sick for one week. Really sick.

 

John has been away working in Kenya for two weeks.

(He is home now - Thank You God!!!)

 

I took the boys to the Dr. today and they are all now on a Z-pac. Nathan is the worst with bronchitis and two infected ears. Ouch! I love Nathan's cute little ears and hate that they are hurting! (Although he says he is just fine! My boys are so stoic that way. Not sure why?)

 

 I feel crummy too. Trying to avoid another Drs. apt....hmmmm....might need to go too...I already go twice every week for shots so I'm kinda overdosed on all that!

 

We are also trying to get our house on the market so we can build a place with more bedrooms so we can then adopt more kids. I have also done two craft fairs in the last three weeks....I'm thinking I am just a bit over-tired. Yeah.

 

 

Thanks for listening to me rant just a bit. I appreciate the free therapy. :)

 

...because even though others might sometimes think we are some kind of "special" people because we adopt (& it's kinda nice that you do!), we are actually just really normal people most of the time that feel weak just like anyone else (maybe more?). We're just willing. I think that might be the only difference. Anyway, I wouldn't change it for anything........even.......today!!! Ugh! Pass the Kleenex...and the Tylenol...and the Coke Zero...and maybe some butter pecan ice cream? :)

 

 

 



No Longer Homeless

 

 

 

So Mr. Homeless has become "Casanova" and is now a permanent resident.  It's funny how neither John nor I wanted another kitten AT ALL but there he was in the middle of the road at night, thin & scared. So...we took him in and then got the neatest surprise...Casanova has to be the sweetest cat EVER! At first I was worried he might be ill because he was so snuggly & passive but he checked out OK at the vet.  I captured this picture of him listening to music with Mark and I think it shows what a sweet little creature he is.