Prayer... and what dogs can teach us about God

First- a huge praise! Mark and Evan finally buckled down last night and did some serious swallowing training. Evan was very receptive and I happen to catch him at a good "teachable" moment. We started with gummy worms cut into various sizes. These seemed easy- he was even able to swallow 2 whole gummy worms at the same time (though I admit these were smaller than most I have gotten before).

Then we started with the M&M's. We tried in vain to find mini ones, so I cut them into 1/4's to start. He had a hard time with these, as these were not "squishy." It didn't take long to figure out what to do with them and start getting these down. From there we moved onto 1/2's. Again, he had a difficult time with this. This just proves to me that this difficulty is largely mental (yes, you, Regina) since, even though it wasn't squishy, 1/2 an M&M is clearly smaller than 2 gummy worms. He finally got them down and was able to swallow 3 or 4 (not at the same time) before he gave out. I think he had overdosed on water by this point.

Anyway, tonight, we tried again. We started with the 1/2's and, we were pleased to find out, he picked up right where he left off. We had a shortened training session, then an hour or so later, we had a big test- it was time to swallow two of the capsules we had previously been sprinkling on various foods. He had to work hard, but HE DID IT!!! The next big test will come in the morning- we will try to start him on the new medicine. The pills are about the same size as the capsules, but don't have any of the "squishiness" that the capsules might have. We'll let you know how it goes, but thanks to all of the prayers that helped us get this far!!

Now, onto something not completely different, but unrelated (yes- this is the dog part).....

I have really made an effort over the last week or so to improve my (very) inconsistent prayer/Bible study time. I do it in the morning and I try to sneak into the study very quietly, so Sadie (our dog) doesn't hear me and start whining to get out of her crate. I got up this morning at 6:30 or so. I was joined by Drew a short while later. He doesn't really understand the concept of quiet and so I ended up letting Sadie out. Drew actually read his Bible this morning! That, in itself, is almost a miracle.

Anyway, for those who don't know, Sadie tends to bite Drew & me. She's only playing and it's annoying more than anything, but every once in a while she nips Drew pretty well. For some reason, she doesn't bite Regina, Evan, or Lindsay. One of the things I prayed for, as Drew was sitting close by, and Sadie was wandering around, was that Sadie would stop biting Drew so much so that he can enjoy his dog more. Just a few minutes later, as I was still praying, Sadie came in and propped her legs up on my legs and just started licking my hands, for probably 30 seconds.

Non-believers would merely say this is coincidence, but to someone who believes in the power of prayer, I believe that God was calling out to me, telling me that he hears my prayers. That if I am vigilant in my prayers and seek His will, that He will hear me and respond to my needs. That if I only trust in the Lord and turn my life completely over to Him that He will take care of me. It's amazing how the lick of a dog on the hand can motivate someone to continue to seek the Lord. Don't overlook God in the small, simple moments of life!