Okay, I admit it... I do not even like dogs or cats or animals for that matter. They are fun to look at but in no way do I enjoy owning one. So the picture with the dog is a bit miss leading.
The long story short is this; I promised Matt a dog when we moved from Ohio to Illinois when he was 13 years old. What love does!
I look back on that committment to him and identify the love I have for him, and his happiness far out weighed the inconvenience of dog hair, late nite bathroom walks, chewing on all of our valuables and even eating our couch. Yes, Hercules ate a portion of our couch, attempting to retreive his tennis ball. What love does!
Now that Matt is at college, he has given us the responsibility of taking care of Hercules. Daily attention, feeding, cleaning up that stupid hair and the late night bathroom breaks are all ours. I asked myself last night as I was called on by Hercules to take him out at 11:57 p.m. , "Why do we even have this dog?" I quickly focused on the love that I have for Matt because that is what love does!
So what is love doing in your world? Are there any sacrifices being made? Are there ways that you demonstrate love to your children that isn't easy? Does love get sifted through your selfishness, busyness, and desire to take the easy way?
Looking back on my eighteen years with Matt, that gift from me to him was the most powerful expression of love that I could have ever given him. It was not my thing. It was certainly not easy, in fact I hated then and I almost hate it now, BUT tonight Hercules will take me out for a pee at 11:57. Oh by the way, I am taking Hercules to see Matt tomorrow at Greenville College. What love does!
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Isn't God funny.. Everything I always said I "hated" or would "never" do I end up doing.. I always think God is up there going, "oh heather if you only knew"...and laughing at me (in love - like the way a parent laughs at a child when he/she is claiming their future paths) b/c He knows thats exactly what He is going to use to stretch me and mold me.. Oh What LOVE does... God is Good... (though I have to say Mike and I couldn't be more different.. animal lovers through and through !! :) )
ReplyDeleteDOG is GOD spelled backwards. Unconditional love with 4 legs and a tail.
ReplyDeleteOur pastor here in Maine uses a red Irish Setter service dog in her ministry.
"Allegra is five-year-old golden retriever who works as a ministry service dog
Allegra is a ministry service dog. Allegra�s owner, the Rev. Arlene Tulley, takes her to nursing homes where residents can touch, pet and receive affection from the dog. The dog also accompanies Tulley in her ministry to the community throughout the week.Tulley, who started the dog ministry in 2001, serves as pastor of Randolph United Methodist Church and East Pittston United Methodist Church in southern Maine.
By Shanta Bryant Gyan*
A simple touch brightens the day of many residents living in a nursing home in southern Maine. But this touch is not a human touch; rather, it’s a nuzzle or a lick from Allegra, a 5-year-old golden retriever.
As a ministry service dog, Allegra’s sole job is showering unconditional love and attention on people in need. Each month, the Rev. Arlene Tully takes Allegra to a nursing home where residents can touch, pet and receive affection from the dog. Allegra also accompanies her owner in other ministries to the community throughout the week.
"That’s her full-time job, and instead of helping one person for a very long time, Allegra helps lots of people for short periods of time," says Tully, who started the dog ministry in 2001.
Allegra was originally trained as a wheelchair assistance dog with the National Education for Assistance Dog Services, but the trainers quickly realized that her fear of noises could create problems later. At the same time, they recognized that her gentle-natured manner and intuitive traits could make her useful as a ministry service dog.
Allegra�s owner, the Rev. Arlene Tulley, takes her to visit nursing home residents.
Allegra is a ministry service dog. Allegra�s owner, the Rev. Arlene Tulley, takes her to nursing homes where residents can touch, pet and receive affection from the dog. The dog also accompanies Tulley in her ministry to the community throughout the week. Tulley, who started the dog ministry in 2001, serves as pastor of Randolph United Methodist Church and East Pittston United Methodist Church in southern Maine. "Out of that failure comes this wonderful new ministry," explains Tully. "As in many of our lives when we think we have failed … we find it just leads us to a different place that God intended us to be."
Tully got the idea to start a dog ministry after a friend who worked in a nursing home told about taking her dog to work for "Bring Your Pet to Work Day." The friend noted that one of the more stubborn residents opened up and became more social and interactive with the dog around.
"In a way, it’s a social lubricant," Tully says of the dog ministry. "The dog is able to create an instant rapport with people, and they are automatically able to connect."
Most of all, Tully says, she appreciates the fact that Allegra demonstrates unconditional love and acceptance toward everyone with whom she comes into contact.
"The dog doesn’t care about the clothes you’re wearing; she loves everyone. I wish I could love like that," the Maine pastor says.
And the nursing home residents that Allegra regularly visits love to have her there to pet and share affection.
For many of them, it’s the touch that means so much. One nursing home resident, stroking Allegra’s golden fur, returns the love.
"You’re loving this," the resident says, "and I am — yes, I am!"
*Gyan is a freelance journalist based in the Washington area.
News media contact: Fran Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5458 or newsdesk@umcom.org"
Perhaps the Lord has other plans for Hercule's!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.