Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Pets (09/13/04)
TITLE: Deep Muddy Water Holes By Teresa Lee Rainey 09/17/04 |
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Andrew’s screams forced us into a mad dash for the front porch. As John and I raced outside, Tim was already lying in the mud, halfway under the stairs. He somehow stretched his arms back toward us with one of eight, three-week-old puppies dangling from his mud-caked hands. Despite the downpour, we began a saving chain of hope while Beauty (our Chow/Shepherd) ran back and forth between us, drenched and looking very worried.
Three weeks ago, we all thought Beauty was quite ingenious for digging out the perfect birthing place under the porch stairs. We forced our heads into her private nursery and watched in awe as she delivered her first litter successfully. She showed such concern for each pup. We thought she was the perfect mom.
Beauty’s nursery had now become a muddy pool of drowning infants.
Soon, four sopping-wet saviors were standing over eight freshly-dried puppies. Beauty appeared relieved to have a new bed of blankets in the corner of the front porch. She lovingly nursed her litter as we celebrated by sipping sweet tea on the porch swing and listened to the sounds of an unforeseen shower.
Andrew looked up to us in exhaustion. “Mom. . . Dad. . . Is it always this hard to raise children?”
“Oh boys,” I held out my arms to Andrew as Tim took John’s lap. “You are worth every effort.”
“Wow Mom”, Tim sat up a little straighter as a thought hit him. “That must be what God thinks about us too.”
“Can you expand that thought, Son?” John encouraged.
“Well Dad, He must have thought we were worth ‘every effort’ because He let Jesus die for us.”
John patted Tim’s head as though he were one of Beauty’s pups, “You are a exactly right.”
“Hey Dad.” Andrew would not be left out. “Guess that means we should try to stay out of deep, muddy water holes, right?”
John and I looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
Finally John was able to quietly reply. “From the mouth of babes.”