I woke up in the middle of the night feeling "pressure" in my chest. While I was trying to wake myself up I thought I might be having a heart attack. Then I realized my 13 pound Maltese, Marley was SITTING on my chest. That's a picture of him, 12 pounds ago. He is terrified of storms, and because I was asleep, I'm thinking that was the best he could do, just sit on me until I woke up. I rolled over thinking I would go back to sleep, but then he wanted me to hold him. I scooped him up, and pulled him close to me, and we both fell back asleep.
I love watching a thunder storm, if I'm inside somewhere. Unlike Marley, I don't need anyone to hold me until it passes, but it's nice to know they are there. He fell asleep in my arms, content knowing I was there.
Jesus tells us He won't leave us either. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you", (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV). That verse gives me great comfort this morning.
What a fluffy little puppy Marley was! I was once in a house where there was an aftershock of the Loma Prieta earthquake, visiting. I was on the phone when the resident Maltese became quite agitated. I was talking with my girlfriend's mother in San Francisco and she had to inform me that we were experiencing an aftershock… 4.0.
My dog, Jazz, a Pomeranian, was a bit heavier, maybe 20 pounds, but not much of a lapdog. He would come up on the couch with me when I was watching TV and stretch out close to my leg next to me where I could pet him. But when he got too hot, he would go in the bathroom, and lay on the cool linoleum. Every once in a while looking around the corner of the open door to see if I was still there.
I forbid him from my bed because I had to turn frequently and I didn't want to crush him or have him interfere with me doing it. Jazz took it as a challenge and tried to get onto my bed quite often. When I could no longer chase him out of bed, I found that if he got on my legs I could get my foot under him and throw him from the bed. He would land on his feet on the carpet with only his ego hurt. He learned to lie under the bed because he always wanted to be close to me. Jazz found a good place under my wheelchair as I worked. When he heard the click of my beginning to move, he would always get out ahead of having his long hair caught in my wheels.
And, I do recall that thunderstorms with loud thunder scared him a bit.
Safe In My Arms...
