Goodbye Sweet Siggy...

I can hardly stop crying long enough to write this... tonight (Friday night, although it's now early Saturday morning) we buried our dachshund, "Siggy." He was either 12 or 13 years old... we're not for sure because we rescued him from an animal shelter when he was only 1 or 2 years old.

Siggy (full name: Sigmund Freud Kelly) was Natasha's dog and he was quite a character. True to his name, he was a study in psychiatric behavior... canine psychiatric behavior. He was extremely OCD -- spending hours at a time barking at squirrels who taunted him above our tree-house or digging holes practically to China.
Without a doubt, he suffered from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and he would become so depressed in the winter that we once put him on doggy Prozac for about 6 months!

This faithful, little dog made the move with us from Little Rock to Baton Rouge nearly 10 years ago... He lived in a cramped apartment with a tiny balcony while our new house was being built. He's lived through 4 hurricanes and 2 "adventures" (we finally found him). Several years ago, our vet told us that Siggy either had cancer or kidney failure and that we should make our peace with him... he lived another 6.5 years.

In his earlier years, he was quite affectionate and extremely patient, but these past couple of years have been hard on all of us. We knew Siggy was not doing well because his temperament had gone a bit sour. Personally, I don't think he ever fully recovered after the death of his friend, Beowulf (Nadia's Labrador), 3 years ago. He just never was the same.

I pray that he knew we loved him even though these past couple of years were less than ideal. And I will unfailingly believe that we will see our crazy little black-n-tan once again some day... probably chasing squirrels in heaven. Soul or no, a God who loves animals so much to create as many as He did, will surely bring them home to Heaven.
So, goodbye Siggy.
You will be missed.

Have You Seen This?

The Circle of Life

I have not posted in a week, partly out of respect for my friends' loss and partly because I just didn't have the heart to write anything.

I have been so sad this past week, achingly sad for my friends -- Herman and Lisa and their other 3 children -- in losing their precious 2 yr. old angel, Vivian. I have grieved and I have cried until there are no tears left. And yet, my life goes on relatively unchanged.
Not so for them.
Their lives are forever altered by the events of a few horrible minutes.

Lisa has been posting on Vivian's Caring Bridge site, using it to journal her thoughts and feelings during these first few days of raw emotion and crushing defeat. Reading her courageous words and realizing just what lies before her humbles me beyond belief.
How can any mother endure such a loss?

At Vivian's funeral last Monday, they played the song, "Circle of Life" (from The Lion King) and it seemed so apropos.
With Vivian's passing comes the renewing of other lives.
By making the choice to donate her precious organs, Lisa and Herman have guaranteed that one or more other babies or young children will LIVE.
Somewhere -- during the same week when we were all fervently praying and waiting -- there were parents hovering over their own children's hospital beds, anxiously awaiting news of a miracle -- praying those same desperate prayers for mercy and intervention.

Sometimes the answer, inexplicably, is "No."
But sometimes when God says "No" to one prayer, He is actually saying "Yes" to several other prayers.
I'm sure this brings minimal comfort to Herman and Lisa at this time, but just knowing that Vivian's death was not in vain -- that somewhere, parents are rejoicing and praising God that their own child will live -- gives hope for the future.
It really is the Circle of Life.

God Bless Baby Vivian

My heart is broken.
Sweet, little Vivian left us today, but I know that we will see her again. That is a comfort no one can take away.
Please continue to lift up Lisa and Herman and their children during this difficult time of grief and mourning. Pray that they would feel HELD.
I love this song by Natalie Grant; it says it all:

Don't Shoot the Messenger!!!

Ok, let me just preface this by saying it is NOT aimed at anyone in particular! I have a lot of friends (who I love) who do this and this is not meant to be a scolding of them.

But I was convicted to write this post awhile back (like 3 months ago) and I have put off actually writing it until now...
How many know it's never a good idea to procrastinate on something you think God is telling you to do???
Even now -- as I sit typing -- the words are just pouring out.
Perhaps this is to be a warning for someone I love.
Or maybe for a complete stranger.
Or maybe just for me.
Whatever the reason, just know that I felt REALLY, REALLY compelled to write it.

A couple weeks ago, I heard about this story and I could not shake it from my mind.
Then, last week, I saw a member of my church doing the same thing.
At least, I think it was a member... they were leaving the church parking lot. I didn't really get a good look at them, but that's beside the point.

My point is this: What would it do to your testimony -- not to mention your life --if you accidentally killed someone because you were texting while driving?

Yes, I realize there were other things at play (like speeding) when the woman in the article slammed into a bunch of stopped cars, but there doesn't need to be any other extenuating circumstances for something like this to happen.
As stories like this and this point out, even experienced texters are at risk...
And who can forget these shocking photos?
This young man was texting and accidentally veered into oncoming traffic. He did not survive.


Maybe you think: "Well, but I'm always careful and nothing has happened yet..."
That doesn't mean it won't.
Maybe you think -- because you are a Christian or a good person -- that God won't let anything happen to you while you do this, but He will.
Just as someone who binges on food will become fat and someone who smokes may get lung cancer... even if they are Christians.
Even Christians have to face the consequences of their actions.
And so will their families.

If the articles/pictures/rationale above doesn't sway you, then let me appeal to the very basic fact, that as Christians, we are instructed and expected to obey all laws. Furthermore, we should be ever mindful of how our behaviors are being observed and interpreted by others. What we DO is far more important than what we SAY.

If the deacon of a large church texts while driving and causes a wreck, it won't matter that he's a deacon. He will go to jail.
If a nursery volunteer is texting and accidentally hits and kills a pedestrian, a life is still lost. She has taken a life for a moment of her own convenience.
And she will have to account for that life.

I don't care how important the text may be or if you are too busy to stop, if you need to read/return a text,
PULL OVER.
Or wait for the next stop light.
If you have a wreck while texting, you'll be a whole lot later than if you had just pulled over for 2 minutes.

Like I said, I don't know who this was meant for, but if you are convicted by it, consider yourself warned.
God may be trying to tell you something.

What Defies All Logic...

I borrowed this from a friend's blog.
I thought it was truly beautiful.

Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived in the same womb. Weeks passed and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy,
“Isn’t it great that we were conceived?
Isn’t it great to be alive?”

Together the twins explored their world. When they found their mother’s cord that gave them life, they sang for joy, “how great is our Mother’s love, that she shares her own life with us!”

As weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much each was changing. “what does it mean?” asked the one. “It means that our stay in this world is drawing to an end, said the other.
“But I don’t want to go”, said the other,
“but maybe there is life after birth.”

But how can there be?” responded the other one. “We will shed our life cord, and how is life possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that
others were here before us
and none of them have returned to tell us that there is life after birth.
No, this is the end.”

And so the one fell into deep despair, saying,
“If conception ends in birth, what is the purpose of life in the womb?
It is meaningless!
Maybe there is no mother after all?”

“But there has to be,” protested the other. “How else did we get here? How do we remain alive?”
Have you ever seen our mother?” said one. “Maybe she lives only in our minds.
Maybe we made her up because the idea made us feel good?”

And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear.
Finally, the moment of birth arrived.
When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes and cried for joy.
For what they saw exceeded their fondest dreams.

Author Unknown

"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools..."
-- Romans 1:22 KJV

Life Is Too Short...

With mixed emotions, I write this post:
So many things I want to say, but I don't want to be too wordy.

Life is so strange.
One minute you're having a nice evening, walking in the cool evening, and then your cell phone rings.
Tragic news.
One of Clay's best friends from High School -- Ken Ashlock -- was killed yesterday in a car accident.
Apparently, he and 2 other men were returning home from work early in the morning and the guy who was driving fell asleep at the wheel.
Ken and another passenger were killed instantly when their truck hit a tree. The driver sustained minor injuries.

I don't know which one I'm sadder for... Ken and those he's left behind (wife & children, brothers, friends) or the man who will have to live the rest of his life with the guilt of this senseless accident.

Clay left this morning to start the 10 hour drive to Abilene, Texas to attend the funeral.

Even though we haven't been in contact with Ken on a regular basis these past few years, he is memorable figure in our marriage. Right after Clay and I were married, Ken and his wife, Dawnette came to visit and it was a wonderful & crazy visit! Ken was such a character... It's funny; just the other day, Clay was telling our daughters a "Ken story" of the time when they dared Ken to shave his head into a mohawk (Keep in mind, this was the early 80's).
Then there's the time that Ken climbed over the fence at the zoo and taunted a 500 pound tiger through the bars... I've never seen a man jump back so fast!

And I'll never forget the one about Ken... Well, you get the picture.

It's very sad around here tonight.
Go hug the ones you love and call the friends you haven't talked to in awhile.
Life is too short not to.