Waiting Our Turn

Sometimes you learn lessons from the most unexpected places.

God is using my dog Mindy to teach me some extraordinary lessons.

Lessons about being patient, being myself, and that the sky isn’t going to fall when you make goofy mistakes. Another lesson is that sometimes we have to wait our turn, and when we are patient enough to wait, good things come to you in the end.

Mindy is not my first West Highland Terrier. She is my second. Chloe was my first Westie, and she was special. She was a rescue dog I found while browsing Petfinder. The minute I saw her little face on the screen, I knew that I had to make her mine, and believe me getting her to us was an adventure.

She came to live with us all the way from Whiteville, Tennessee. She had been surrendered to a local Humane Society by her former owner and been with a foster family for several months before we adopted her. So, we had to have shipped to us on a plane, believe it or not. I admit that her airplane flight cost more than her adoption fees. But, I can also tell you that she was well worth every penny and more that we spent to call her ours.

She was not only a beautiful dog but was she was loyal, obedient (most of the time), and was a joy to take on trips. She loved to travel, and we had her very own stroller… So yes, I admit we are “those kinds” of fur baby parents.

It was always so funny when my husband and I took her into stores, and people would do a double-take because they thought we had a baby in the stroller instead of a dog. She especially loved the beach and loved to chase crabs. Her favorite beach was Seabrook Island near Charleston, South Carolina. Seabrook is much less populated and which meant lots and lots of crabs to chase.

Chloe blessed our family for over 16 years, and I do mean blessed.

Mindy came to live with us when she turned 1 year old, and Chloe was almost 13. Mindy was my husband’s idea, thinking it would help ease the pain when we lost Chloe due to old age.

I am honest when I tell you that Mindy was lots of work from the beginning. She hadn’t been socialized like she should have been by her former elderly owners, plus she has just added responsibility for me and my already blown-up schedule. Between work, caring for my disabled husband and my already aging dog, work full time, and still try to do all the everyday stuff, plus lead a bible study class, I was exhausted. Poor Mindy was just something else I felt I had to do. So I tried, but time with Mindy kind of fell to the wayside most of the time. She sadly became “my husband’s” dog.

After Chloe passed away, I realized just what a wonderful dog Mindy was too. I am going to be honest when I tell you that I couldn’t see it before. I always focused on what Mindy did wrong or how much I seemed to have to take her out. There seemed always to be another accident to focus on, which now I realize wasn’t Mindy but Chloe’s accidents all along. There was also all the constant barking combined with my already frazzled nerves.

Poor Mindy…..

But…..

Now it is Mindy’s turn. Turn to be the top dog and get all the attention. She is goofy, awkward, and, like I already said, she loves to bark at everything that moves, but I love her. I will admit the barking still frazzles my nerves from time to time. It has taught me that maybe I can only be a one dog at a time owner who is ok. It has also taught me that sometimes we have to wait before things get better. Life is like that, even for dogs. Sometimes you have to wait for the other person to have their turn first. Another thing I am learning is that you may have to wait, but God doesn’t forget about us while we are waiting. I can’t speak for you, but I need to know that. Waiting is hard for me. Something I am still working on.

Mindy was content to wait her turn, and good things came to her. She loves the walks, extra treats, and hugs and kisses of her very own. She also is not having to share her new buffalo plaid bed anymore.

I am sharing the following video of one of our recent walks. https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6fl9Tj-4G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Pay close attention to the conversation. Something else I am learning from my grandson Noah. Who would have figured there was a Rubik’s Cube language. The things I am learning from a seven-year-old.

 

See you in the field, 

Susan