Paws for Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to PAWS for Coffee Hour! I am so excited to share this one today which is from an amazing lady I met through an organization NAWBO-IE! She had actually posted on F.B. a little bit about this situation so I asked if she would mind sharing with you for our PAWS Hour! So, grab a cup of coffee, some tissues, and yes, your strand of faith because there is some spiritual significance here with which you can tie a knot in your strand of faith!

Good morning sisters. I know we can get caught up in trying to 'love someone to wholeness' and that should fix things. However, over and over and in my own life I've grown to understand until someone has a 'moment' of understanding, they can be stuck in low thoughts of themselves. My moment came when my dear dog, Kersee, of 15 years was attacked by another dog and sustained punctures to her throat and a broken neck.

Let me share a little bit about her first: When I met Kersee in the pound she had a pup with her.  The person at the pound gave her a treat then began talking to me.  That sweet dog waited patiently, then sighed and bent down and gave that treat to her puppy.  I could not get that sweet dog out of my mind and went back after the 14-day hold.  I knew the pup would be adopted quickly but older dogs are harder to place.   She was such a gift in my life during a time I was trying to figure out how to face each day with unrealistic fear.  Years later, I became a mother and on two different occasions, I went to the stairs for a time-out and to breathe because my patience was at its end.  Kersee met me on the stairs sitting straight in front of me then placed one paw on my heart while I calmed down. J

When I calmed down she buried her head into me as I told her I was okay now.

As the years passed, she began to really have trouble with her arthritis, especially when the weather got cooler and she also lost her hearing.     Now let’s go back to that horrible day of her mauling.

While at the vet’s I had to make the decision to say goodbye that morning.  Her wounds were just too much. When I had my last moments with her at the vets, I told her how precious she was and I knew she was a gift from God and I was so grateful for her love and care. I assured her that I was stronger now and I was going to be alright now.  She mustered strength to move her head closer to mine and closed her eyes as if to say 'I know' and 'I'm ready.'

Two weeks after, I was reflecting upon the events and missing her terribly and just blurted out “not one molecule of her had less value” and the still small voice chimed in, “just like you.”

Until that moment, no amount of words and/or actions by my husband, my daughters, my friends or family could penetrate the definition of “damaged goods” and how I was convinced no one could truly love me. But the situation of loving my precious dog and experiencing her mauling and never seeing her as less helped me to understand others could see me the same way.

It was a turning point in my life that was difficult but I wouldn't trade the turn for anything. I can let love in now, and it has been life-altering. I was praying for insight and change. Some walk through life having no clue that they have that underlying philosophy of worthless. Your love and words might not be able to penetrate their self-induced mental definition. Pray for them, and take care of your journey and growth. Blessings and have the best one possible,

Inger and Kersee