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Dear Friends of the Fellowship of the Blog,

Many thanks are streaming out today for the recent, stirring comments and words of encouragement from: Jillian, Cindy, Timothy, Carolyn, Stephanie, Ol’ Bean, Sarah Grace, and Tru2Him. It’s quite like the mailman arriving with letters from friends to brighten the day.  I am grateful, too, for all of you who take time and interest to read, ponder and hopefully give a smile of approval to the “goings on” of the Christian Mother Goose blog.

Right now, let me tell you about Jennie – winsome, friendly Jennie.  She entered our lives unexpectedly a few years ago in the middle of the night, with a gentle knock on our kitchen window.  She had taken refuge on our back porch, high on a hill in the countryside where we live.  She said nothing, and we said nothing as we stared at each other with faces pressed against the bay window.  Her beseeching eyes spoke of an honest need, so we opened the back door and stepped outside.

Jennie approached us hesitantly, gave a funny smile and wagged her chocolate brown Labrador tail in relief.   Ah! – someone had taken pity on her.  But where did she come from?  She wore a collar, but no identification hung from it.  So I asked her the question that has been asked thousands of times in the many years since 1806 when “Bow, Wow, Wow” first appeared in rhyme:

We named her “Jennie”  which seemed to suit her, and, for the moment, we just gave her some water and a box with a cushion in it to sleep on.  She looked almost apologetic for having robbed us of sleep as she curled up, obviously content with her “new” sleeping quarters.  She didn’t even bark as Mr. and Mrs. Possum (our nocturnal marsupial friends who live under our back porch deck) ambled by in the night for their regular stroll.

Instead of going to bed, I made a cup of burdock tea and mused on the night’s events, as one thought led to another.  Someone had either discarded Jennie or she was genuinely lost. And it isn’t hard to get lost in this world.  Adam saw to that!   Soon after he was driven from Eden, he could have put up the world’s first road sign marked “Lost” – with arrows pointing north, south, east and west.

Wherever we go, wherever we live, we encounter the little word “lost.”  It’s staggering where all the lost things go!  Along with the reports of black holes in outer space, there must be some black holes lurking in our homes where everything from car keys, receipts, pens, pins, pennies and  documents on the computer disappear forever!  Then the world is also full of lost luggage, lost hair, lost sleep, lost elections and lost time (right now, to continue this unending “lost” list will undoubtedly make me lose my train of thought!). Here it is:

At the heart of all the trappings of things lost in the universe, there remains just one for which the The Lord Jesus Christ said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?“  (Mark 8. 36 -37)  The answer is “nothing.”  We have nothing to give a holy God for our lost soul.  Therefore, our redemption must come freely from the loving Redeemer Who willingly paid the price for us and said:  “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)  Praise The Lord for His love and grace and infinite power to save and keep us.  And the One whose eye is on the sparrow, surely looked down on lost Jennie, too.

The next morning we began our search for Jennie’s family.  Among the ranches to the north, south, east and west of us, handsome horses grazed contentedly:  American Quarter horses, American Paint, Arabian and Missouri Fox Trotter; but no owner of a chocolate Labrador was to be found amongst our equine-loving neighbors.

A week later, after fruitless expeditions to find Jennie’s family, we took her to the veterinarian for help.  Yes, she was about a nine-months old purebred chocolate Labrador.  Yes, she was in fine shape – yes, she needed various shots – and $240.00 would cover his charges nicely!  Two hundred and forty dollars later, Jennie came home, still lovable, but now looking more like a chocolate investment!

On with the search!  “Who’s dog art thou?” continued in the highways and bye-ways.  We learned all kinds of funny stories about things lost and found.  However, the most unusual account came from a pastor’s wife.  (And still brings a smile as I write this.)  Someone stole their beautiful, church platform flag.  At the same time, a nearby small church received the gift of a beautiful, mounted platform flag.  The “gist of the story” was that a young man, fresh out of jail, had joined a Bible study group with the intention of mending his ways.  The group was studying “giving.”  He was so touched with the blessing of “giving” he became a temporary Robin Hood.  Not having anything to give, he blithely robbed Peter to bless Paul; well-meaning, but not quite in the spirit of Christian giving.  However, like the Biblical Robin Hood, Onesimus (in the book of Philemon), he was forgiven.  The whole affair would have made a good Andy Griffith TV episode – our favorite, wholesome, fun classic series.

After three weeks of searching, beautiful words floated over the phone.  Our son, Bradley, (1,300 miles away in Nevada)  had found a family on the Internet who was looking for a lost Labrador – and they lived just 35 miles from us!  Oh, happy day! – or was it?  As it turned out, their Labrador was old enough to be Jennie’s great grandfather.  Still, they would come and evaluate if Jennie was gentle, friendly, and allow herself to be a small horse and wrestling partner for their two-year-old son.  And, of course, the $240.00 vet investment was excellent news to them and they would be at our house within the hour!

“Jennie,” we told her, “you’ll have a lovely safe home, with a nice family to care for you, if you’ll put on a blue ribbon performance when they come.”  And she didn’t let us down.  An hour later, a happy little boy put Jennie to the test – and then some!  But her chocolate tail kept wagging in obvious enjoyment. Lost Jennie had truly found a good home with a veterinarian assistant and a little “Tom Tinker” of her own.  Jennie came in the back door lost, and went out the front door found!  All because she knocked.

How comforting to know the Lord Jesus Himself invites us to “Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”  What an invitation to a life with Him forever in His Heavenly home!

Thank you all for being part of the Fellowship of the Blog Family,

Christian Mother Goose®

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