Kingdom Hearts

I am so glad that being a Christian and having confidence in God’s presence in my life can make life easier. Especially with a week like this one.

As most of you know at this point, this has been that proverbial “week from hell” for the Brownings. Last week the boys went up to East Texas to stay with Cody’s mom for a few days. The plan was for them to come back this past Wednesday. Well, early Monday morning Aaron got sick; throwing up, diarrhea, etc. After this happening most of the day, and it not stopping, Cody’s parents finally took him to the emergency room and he had a stomach virus of course. But when they took his blood work they also noticed his blood count was a bit high. So they did some chest x-rays as the doctor suspected pneumonia. And sure enough, Aaron has it….apparently it had been developing for a while. He is doing somewhat better now but is still very weak and the stomach virus now at least seems to be a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, Cody went up there on Monday evening and has been there since. We knew it might be a while as Aaron was unfit to travel home obviously. Well, on Wednesday evening Chase started throwing up and having diarrhea. Sigh! They took him to the doctor yesterday morning and he has the same virus Aaron had but thankfully he doesn’t have pneumonia like Aaron does.

I am thankful for in-laws like Cody’s parents. Obviously this has been a crazy week for Cody at her parents taking care of two sick boys without me there. But Cody’s mother is amazing and I am so glad that the boys were around her, someone they feel very safe with, as they got so sick. We are hoping that Kathy and Cody don’t get this mess. From the way this week is going however, we’re all planning on that happening. Cody’s sister, Brooke has been a big help this week also, going to the house to help Cody and Kathy.

The elders here in La Grange where I preach are so gracious. They offered to let me go up there and be with the family. I would have taken them up on the offer but due to circumstances here on the homefront, I was unable.

This has been an incredibly tough week on a lot of levels. And it is all capped off by what I don’t want to do this afternoon….bury Hank. I dread it.

On Tuesday, the day after Cody left for East Texas, when I went outside to feed the dogs before work, I noticed Hank, our rottweiller, did not want to get up for his food. He was just laying there by the fence. I finally called him and he did get up and come, but it was more out of loyalty. He clearly did not want to eat. And I could tell he was hurting. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. I was extremely busy and needed to get to work. I checked on him again that afternoon and clearly knew something wasn’t right. So Wednesday morning, I got him over to the vet. Ironically he has pneumonia. He also has hip dysplasia. Because his blood count is so high, the doctor thinks he could possibly have cancer. There is no hope for him at this point, so we are going to put him to sleep this afternoon after lunch.

Tough! I love this dog. It is amazing that we get these pets, knowing at some point we’re going to have to say “goodbye.” Yet we still put ourselves through this. Hank is a good dog. I blogged about him recently. You can see the post here. He removed all myths about how “all rottweillers are mean and bad.” He was so gentle and had no clue as to what he could do if he wanted. He is about as loyal a dog as one would find. Earlier this morning I went to see him at the clinic. He is in obvious pain and discomfort, and can’t get up. Yet when he saw me he was wagging his tail and reaching his paw to me.

I know this is a dog. I certainly don’t want to minimize the other things that are more pressing. I love my 2 boys more than life itself and am so thankful that they are on the mend, finally. I hope they soon get their strength back so they and my wife can come home. I miss them. And I am quite sure their illness and absence is adding to my emotions right now; sadness, some grief, guilt and helplesness. I imagine the week has been even tougher on Cody. She is obviously tired from not much sleep and no one likes to see their children sick…especially this sick.

So why did I write all this? Not real sure. Perhaps many will not read it or care too much. But it has been therapeutic for me. I am thankful for the opportunity to vent. Ha! Now you all know why I REALLY blog!

Thank you all for your prayers, e-mails, calls, texts, and cards regarding the boys, especially Aaron. It has been overwhelming actually, and it is good to know we are loved and cared about. All the kids at church made Aaron a card Wednesday night. It was really sweet. Please keep praying for them. Chase will be fine. He just has to ride this virus out like Aaron did. Aaron is obviously still down with his pneumonia, but we think he is pretty safe at this point. He is getting lots of rest, and most importantly, lots of love and support from his mom and grandmother.

I’m sad but I am also upbeat. I think we all have to keep in perspective that we know things like this are going to happen. It’s life. And again, I know this is a dog but I can’t help but be reminded that everyone of us are going to one day “go to sleep.” I am so thankful that because of my relationship with God, I don’t have to fear it. In fact, I look quite forward to it. There, I won’t have to have weeks like this one,

Have a good weekend!

And Hank, you rest in peace my buddy! Thank you so much for the fun 7 1/2 years we had.

Hank, my 7-year old rotweiller, is actually a pretty laid back dog. Cody and I have kept him socialized with kids ever since he was a puppy, and as a result, he has no clue as to his potential. I realize I am at least somewhat biased but he is one of the sweetest and most gentle dogs I have known. Another wonderful trait about Hank that I absolutely love is his loyalty. I will give you an example. As is the case with most dogs I suppose, Hank loves to eat. I usually feed him in the mornings before I go to work. If I am running late, he slides his pan on the patio concrete to remind me that he wants to eat. And when I do get out there with his food, he goes nuts. It is one of the most exciting times of the day for him.

Well, last Friday morning morning I was outside working on my lawn mower, trying to get it to start (another completely different story altogether). Usually when I am outside Hank is right there with me. But before I went to my lawn mower, I fed him. He was his usual excited self, of course. And then I got curious. As I was by my lawn mower, I called for him while he was eating. And he immediately came. His food no longer mattered. I petted him and played with him a little. And of course, he was enjoying my attention. He would periodically look back at his food he left behind, but there was absolutely no way he was going back to his food pan. When I started back to working on my lawn mower, he sat there by me. As much as he loves to eat, Hank was much more interested in what I was able to give him emotionally. That makes him much happier.

Now, I don’t want to necessarily compare us to dogs, but what a tremendous lesson on commitment and loyalty. We too have a Master. He gives us spiritual food, which is much more important than physical nourishment (Matthew 4:4). Jesus tells us that when our loyalty is to Him and His kingdom, then our needs will be met (Matthew 6:33). Do we live in such a way that demonstrates this kind of faith? Hank trusted that he would eat. He knew I was going to take care of Him. He has faith in me as his master that his needs are going to be taken care of. And that is exactly why he would much rather spend his time with me. He is committed to me. And it makes me feel good, just as it pleases God when He comes first in our lives. Hank is not perfect. But he is loyal and faithful. Do we see the connection? There is no doubt in my mind that I take priority over anything else in his life. Can God claim the same of us?

I think the words of the psalmist are appropriate here:

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalm 37:3-5).

Have a good weekend and for all of the mothers out there, I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!