Millie

The kidscame in last night in shifts but Kyle came a day early. I had my prayer dog Millie outside as a menacing presence to keep some people from coming to my house to talk to me about their religion. You know who I mean, I won’t say anymore but I didn’t feel like being interrupted yesterday morning so Millie kept them away with her barking.  I heard that familiar bark of hers which told me someone I love is here. Mille is the best greeter ever and if God greets me half as well (just kidding God) I know I am in heaven. She truly heralds your arrival home and she does the same for my yard youngun’s as well. They get the official family greeting too since they are part of our family. They all marvel at her memory and the full effect of the greeting. Not only do they get the high pitched deep bark, but they are treated to a dash around the yard, sometimes into the field next door as she brags to the neighborhood my family is here. Then she stays right up under you for a long time to get all the petting she can from you to catch up on all she hadn’t gotten since last you left.

It was cute when Steve would come in late at night sometimes and he would try to hush her out in the yard so as not to disturb the neighbors. She did her greet and run, and then she couldn’t help it a small yippy, whiny bark would come out. It was fun watching her try to please her master but she couldn’t contain her joy, something was coming out of her mouth. It is funny how human dogs can be sometimes. She whined and rolled over and ran about the house jumping on the bed waiting for Steve’s hands on her body. She wanted her master’s touch so bad she was crazy for it. Steve always got the best greeting out of all the family and I enjoyed watching her.

She has given her first greeting  of the weekend already and will be rested up for the big meet and greet tonight when the rest come in. Due to her extreme greetings she will be exhausted and probably a bit sore; she is an old lady of eleven years after all. I only wish I could give half the greeting she does, it is loud but wonderful all at the same time. It truly makes you know you were missed and you definitely know you are loved. I wonder if she will be looking for Steve at all. After the funeral, she acted depressed but I am unsure if she picked up on my emotions. I am so glad to have her with me right now, I need her presence after the house quiets on Monday, and it will be hard. I am pretty sure she will have to listen to me cry again. But that is what she is paid for right? She knows everything and can’t tell anyone.

I said how funny how like human’s dogs are, but even funnier is how like God they are. My Millie is the most faithful person I know. She loves me unconditionally even when I get mad at her, she tries to wriggle under my hand to get my love and attention back. Not that God should ever bow to me, but He would. He loves me enough to lead me to forgiveness, to love again and release my anger, just like my dog does for me. She is the first to greet me in the morning and she wakes with me in the middle of the night and sits quietly with me until I go back to sleep. I call her my prayer dog because she sits with me in my prayer time and being alone I can’t have a prayer partner all the time so I use her. She is created by God too and she has brought comfort to me just by her near presence.  God has taught me much about His characteristics by Millie’s example. Other than her extreme, jealous love, she is faithful to her family, she listens well, and she is attuned to me. When I think she is sleeping, I notice she is looking for my next move trying to anticipate where I am going or what I am doing. Sure some of it probably is food related too, but I choose to believe she wants to please me.

There are the times she drives me crazy like when she goes out later in the evening on a cool crisp night and doesn’t knock on the door until 2:00a.m. I trudge to the door only to see her run off into the night again. She just wanted to see if I would answer the door and if I would still respond. Then I try to outsmart her and teach her a lesson by not answering when she knocks again in about twenty minutes. I lie in my bed and think she will stop and just settle down and fall to sleep outside on the porch, I will let her in when I awake in the morning. This never happens, and I don’t know why I keep thinking it will ever work. Millie keeps knocking, and knocking then pounding until I get up and let her in. Talk about your Hound from Heaven do you get the connection here? She loves me and our home enough to protect it and want to be inside it with me too. She stands watch over us and keeps vigil sometimes into the wee hours. I am grateful for her but sometimes inconvenienced by her. I am the old dog learning new tricks here, not the other way around.

So the testimony of Millie is by example. She never preaches a word to me, she just is and does and ever shall be my faithful companion until death. I will mourn her death when it happens too , she is so much a part of our family. Right now she is laying here on my bed sneezing and I say God bless you to her. God does bless her and me through her and I am so glad to say, he has taught this old dog a new trick or two. I want to learn more as I am sure I have so much more to learn.