It is amazing how the simple things in life are missed so much when you don't have them. In August we bought a house. Probably not the best thing to do when you are 6 months pregnant, at least not one that needed as much work as ours did. But it was ours and that was Daniels way of nesting before our little Addy was to arrive. He wanted it to be all perfect when we walked through those doors with her in toe. As we all know that didn't happen and the stress of the house was a lot to handle. We spent every moment we had out here working on it so it would be ready. But with construction delays and other delays we missed our target date and just wanted it to be done around the time she was to be here. Needless to say we were still working on it when everything happened and it all seemed to not matter any more. We had gracious enough friends and family that stepped in and did an amazing job to get it done so we could be in it and move on with our lives. With that we are thankful. But one thing got set aside and never got done and that one thing would be amazing to have again. A dogie door!!
I am sure those of you with dogs with out this luxury are probably laughing at me telling me suck it up. But that was the best part of the other house. My Dad had so lovingly took time one visit to install one for us and our lives were never the same. The convenience of Kolby letting himself out it was just amazing. I didn't have to get out of bed to let him out he could do it himself and did. Although it still woke me up i didn't have to get up and wait for him while he mingled outside with his nose to the ground. I am convinced he goes out there to play more than anything especially at night when you are really tired and just want to sleep it takes forever. But to not have that any more has been an adjustment.
Last night at 4:41am to be exact Kolby so lovingly placed his cold nose about three inches from my face and stared untel i woke up that is his way of letting me know he needs out. So i crawl out of bed grab my glasses so i can see where i am going somewhat and head to the door to let him out. As he roams the backyard and I stand there waiting for him I start to watch him. We have a lot of stickers in our backyard and he inevitably gets at lest one in one of his paws every time he goes out. He is getting better with them. He can usually pick them out himself but there are stubborn ones he can't get. At first he hadn't learned the trick and instead of spitting them out he would keep them in his mouth trying to eat them. After a few incidents where we had to pry them out of the roof of his mouth he has gotten better and doesn't try to eat them as much any more.
But as he hobbles back to the door i realize he has a pesky one and wasn't able to get it out himself. Not wanting to turn the light on i go get a flashlight and find the culprit and pull it out. With a yelp and then a hug he is off to bed and i follow suit a few seconds behind. With in two seconds it seemed he was under the covers and asleep me not so much. As i lay there for the next hour and a half i start to think about him and the stickers.
He has a path worn out along the outside of the yard a safe path. He knows if he walks that path that the chances of him getting multiple stickers is rare. He has worn it out and knows just were he can and can't steep. At night he is very cautious about sticking to that path except if he sees a cat, which last night was one of those nights. I got to thinking about that though. Isn't that kind of how we are? We are let out on our own to follow a path. We can either follow the one we know is safe and wouldn't hurt us too much or we can take a chance and step out on those scary stickers. God has given us the chance to choose which path we want. If we follow the one he has for us we know were it will end up leading us to. Even if we choose that path it doesn't mean we aren't going to get a few stickers in our lives over the years but we have someone we can run to, to help us pull them out. But if we stray from that path what can happen. Like Kolby we get stubborn try to take care of the hurt ourselves and end up hurting ourselves even more because we don't really know what we are doing.
Just like Kolby, God lets us out in life to explore and do what we feel like we need to do. But He is there every step. When we hit a patch that might not be so packed down and we get stickers in all our paws God is there to help us pick them out and get us back on our feet. It is like this we didn't choose to lose our daughter. We never thought this would happen and never even planed for it to happen. So when it did we were stopped in our tracks crippled with the fear and grief that is to be expected. But what we did next was the step that is the most hard to take. We rely on God to help us pick those stickers out, He is still working on it. It still hurts and will always leave an lasting scare and sting but the fact that He was there for us when we needed Him most is the best feeling anyone can know. You are loved no matter what and it doesn't matter how many stickers our hearts are holding if we let Him He will pull them out for us and then help us to regain life after wards.
It is just one more way God is showing us that He is in this with us. We aren't having to do it alone and we don't have to face a future of uncertainty alone. He will be there for us through it all just like He has proven to us this time that He cares and that He really loves us. He will be there the next time we steep in a patch of stickers and get stopped but He will pick us up, pull them out and let us continue on the path He has laid out for us. It is far better to follow that path than go out into the thick of those stickers and get hurt even more.
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