It’s inevitable! Molly and I are aging!
Molly came into my life nearly eight years ago, a tiny, strawberry dapple ‘worsie’ hardly bigger than my foot. She was inquisitive, bouncy, and full of mishief. The leader of my pack, a Yorkie, did the mischief and Molly joyfully joined in.
Molly is a “velcro” dog. The closer she can get to a warm body, the happier she is. Tosca would get annoyed with her because Molly liked to sleep on Tosca’s back!
I should rather say, Molly is not aging. She is maturing. Her ever-increasingly white muzzle and paws speak of age but her maturity peeps out in her behaviour…
…For example, she loves to stretch out on my recliner and watch me prepare meals. I have taught her to move to the back of the chair when it’s time for me to sit down. Now she spontaneously wriggles her long little body backwards until she flush with the chair back! So cute!
I often wonder how much dogs can reason. When Molly has the urge to go outside when it’s raining or when she can’t get out, she does her business in my bathroom as close to the toilet as possible. How is that for consideration! At least I don’t have to tour the garden to clean up her waste.
As I said, Molly loves closeness…and equality. She believes she has a right to eat what I eat. Not always good for her. She also sleeps where I sleep. She starts the night under the blankets, especially when it’s cold. However, when I wake up, she’s sleeping with her head on the pillow next to me! How is that for equality!
Her latest habit is to wake me in the night. She used to wake me for toilet purposes but now she wakes me just to say “Hello, are you awake?” She tugs on the blankets, bumps me with her nose, or wriggles around until I show her I’m awake. After reassuring me that she doesn’t need to go outside, she lies on my arm, gazing at me with adoring brown eyes. Then we go to sleep again, assured of our love for each other.
I wonder if Molly knows that the older we grow, the closer we get to having to part! It’s a sad thought, so I make the best of every moment we have together. When I go out, I settle her in her bed, cover her with our favourite red blankie, and comfort her with treats. Homecoming is always a joyful reunion.
How much the Father has taught me through my years with this little dog. The older we grow, the closer we become. It’s like this with God too. I often spend time simply loving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, trying to imagine what heaven will be like in the eternal presence of God. Sometimes, He wakes me in the night, for no other reason than to give me time to think about Him.
I love His presence when I go shopping, or make crocheted toys, or prepare meals. My Helper is always there to guide and advise me and to help me make the right decisions. He’s always thinking about me, more thoughts than all the grains of sand on the planet.
Psalms 139:17-18 NLT
[17] How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! [18] I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”
Even if I don’t listen, He is still there. And when I wake up?
Psalms 139:17-18 NLT
[17] “… And when I wake up, you are still with me!”
What thoughts does God have about me?
Psalms 139:5, 9-10 NLT
[5] You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head….
[9] If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, [10] even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
Good, blessing, favour!
So, thank you, little Molly, for all the life lessons I have learned through my partnership with you. You have carved out a tender spot in my heart that belongs to you and you alone. We both belong to God because He made us and He gave you to me to care for, for Him.
We have no idea how many days we have left together. When I go to my place or when you go to your place, together or apart, we will have good memories of precious times and all the love that glued us to each other here on earth.