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Topic: Pets (09/13/04)
TITLE: Gloria By darlene hight 09/16/04 |
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As she wandered through the rows of cars, she remembered their first car. It was a Mercury, wasn’t it? She thought, it had the back window that went up and down. Our little dog used to climb out onto the trunk. Dan would step hard on the brakes and she would come sliding back in. Gloria! What a funny little dog she was! Oh, those were good times! So many good times. Well, maybe I’ll have them again, someday.
It had been a year since Dan passed. Kay had gone through many firsts in that year. She learned to drive. She went back to work. Not a fabulous job but it would help supplement her income and it was certainly better than long days and nights at home, alone. Why didn’t I learn to drive while Dan was still alive? Why did I insist on selling Dan’s car after the funeral, so many foolish mistakes? Well, at least I handled myself all right today.
Kay had appeared self-confident and in control,when the salesman approached and asked if he could show her something. She replied “ I would like to look around on my own. Thank you. I will come for you if I find something that I’m interested in.”
It had taken her hours to decide what to wear, today. Dan’s words came back to her. “If you want people to take you seriously, you have to dress the part.” He used to say. She couldn’t decide if she should wear jeans and look casual and comfortable or a business suit and look professional and in charge. She opted for the business suit. Casual and comfortable would be too hard to pull off.
As she rounded the corner, she heard a gentle clicking behind her. Turning, she spotted a puppy about four or five months old. It was a pitiful sight, one of those puppies that are so ugly that they are cute. Its wiry hair was a mix of grays and browns. It looked half starved.
“Just look at you!” Kay crooned. “Come here. I won’t hurt you.” The puppy approached cautiously. Kay squatted to pet her. “Oh my! You are nothing but skin and bones.” “I’m not sure if I have anything to give you.” Then, she remembered a half-eaten pack of cookies in her purse. Retrieving them she offered a cookie. The puppy gobbled it down as if it was a T bone steak. Kay fed her the rest of the package. “Well pup, I have to buy me a car. You are welcome to join me if you like.”
She continued to search the parking lot until she found a little blue car that fit her budget. “Oh please, Lord, let it be an automatic.” She looked and thankfully it was. She opened the door and climbed in. The salesman approached.
“Did you find something?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. What can you tell me about it?” The salesman did his job. He explained the car’s history, pointed out all the special features and talked Kay into taking it for a test drive. As Kay sat in the office filling out paperwork and finalizing the deal, she asked, “Does that puppy belong to anyone?”
“No,but we throw in a puppy with every deal” he laughed.
“Well, in that case, I guess, I’ll be taking her home.” Kay joined enjoying the merriment.
At home, Kay decided that the only suitable name for the puppy was ‘Gloria’. She bathed her and poured her a heaping bowl of food. Later that evening, she heard Gloria whimpering from behind the recliner.
“What’s the matter sweetheart?” Kay asked puzzled. The pup’s sad eyes made her want to cry. Gloria edged over to the food dish and nudged it with her nose. It was empty.
“Oh my! Are you afraid that the food has run out? “ Kay reached for the bag and refilled the bowl. The puppy sprang to life.
As Kay said, “We have plenty of food. You don’t need to worry.” She was reminded that God’s resources, also, would never run out.
“You’ve never let me down, Lord. I expect that you won’t this time. I’ll be having good times again, real soon. Any day now!”