Meet Bingo

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

On August 8, my parents’ Australian Shepherd, Jenny, died unexpectedly. She was old, but had no health problems other than some “fatty” tumors on her sides. One of them became suspicious so her vet decided to do a biopsy and remove it. She came home from the hospital and appeared okay, but early the next morning suffered a heart attack and died. Youngest son was late to catch his ride to Miami for his flight to Brazil because he was helping his grandpa bury his dog. In their deep grief, my parents decided that they were getting too old to start over with a new dog. I, on the other hand, wanted to run right out and get them one. They have always had a dog, primarily Australian Shepherds, and I knew that their house felt lonely without one. There is one thing I have learned in my life, however, getting a dog is a very personal thing and one you should not do for someone else. So, I waited, but monitored the classified ads and the humane society postings to see if the right dog might come along. And he did. A tricolor six month old male Australian Shepherd marked exactly like their first Australian Shepherd named Checkers. The spitting image. I mulled it over for a few days, and resolved to stay out of it despite the fact that he was very cute, already neutered, housebroken and beginning obedience trained. But, it was hard. In the meantime, my dad just hasn’t been himself. Very sad over their loss and his situation aggravated by a case of shingles. My mom was worried about their security with the recent murder in our neighborhood and no dog to sound the alarm. Still, I didn’t say anything even though the ad continued to run in the paper. Then, one day last week, my parents were at a nearby park enjoying the day and my dad was reading the classified ads. He saw you know who and joked to my mom, “I’m going to call a man about a dog.” He called before they left the park, but the owner told him that someone was coming to look at the puppy that night. He hung up disappointed. The next day she called to say that the people had not come, so my parents immediately went over and bought him. His name was Jango after a Starwars character, but they changed it to Bingo. He is a sweet dog, eager to please and easy to train. My parents are really happy. I am happy not only because they are happy, but because I managed to stay out of it and let them make the decision! So many times in life when I try to rush and push against the circumstances, things go badly. I might think I know best, but if I just wait on God’s timing, He makes good things happen because He knows what’s best for me and those I love.

PS M’s dad is awake and doing well. He has no side effects from his surgery except for his vision which is very poor but doctors are optimist that it will come back after the swelling from surgery goes down. Please continue to pray for him as he recovers. Also, pray for the family as they will have a hard road for a while as he is the main breadwinner in the family. Thanks for praying.