From the Pastor's Pen

Well, I finally summoned my courage and did it.  I bathed my dog at home! 

Theo, my Bassett Hound is not a small dog one can easily lift into the kitchen sink.  He weighs about 55 pounds, and so it’s not easy to strongarm him into anything he doesn’t want to do.  Usually we take him to the dog wash on Elkhart Avenue for his bath.  He willingly goes up the ramp for a dog treat and then we can trap him in the tub which lifted off the ground so it’s easy to reach Theo.  There’s a shower hose too for a convenient wash and rinse. 

There is nothing like that in the Wick’s house.  There is only a bathtub with a bucket for rinsing.  It was quite the ordeal today.  Theo wanted nothing to do with the water in tub.  I had to lift him in half a dog at a time.  By the time he was standing in the water, I was wetter than he was which means I no longer cared if he shook water all over me.  I was already soaked!

Somehow, I wrestled him through the bath and won!  I even managed to “blow” him dry a bit.  He decided he liked the warm air.  When I finally set him free, he raced downstairs and ran back and forth through the house howling for about 10 minutes.  He wanted to be sure I knew he objected to the whole enterprise.  But he’s clean!  Doesn’t he look handsome seated angelically on the living room rug?  One would never know he’s so much trouble!

How often we struggle against doing things we don’t want to do.  Some of them are good for us too!  I know there are lots of things I am doing these days that I don’t particularly want to do… like social distancing, but I know it’s the right thing for me and for my neighbors, friends, family and church family.  It’s difficult, but good for all of us.  I expect there will be long term benefits for us all as well.  I think we may be better neighbors, more intentional about staying in touch with loved ones, and I expect to be a better cook!

Hang in there.  We are learning and growing in ways we don’t fully comprehend.

Peace,

Pr. Sally

We glory in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5: 3-5)