"A cheerful heart is good medicine..."
Proverbs 17:22
One afternoon in late spring Caleb called from the Tuscaloosa animal rescue shelter to ask for my approval/permission to get a dog. He used his best lobbying efforts: "He's a boxer like Maggie and my roommates are here with me and we all think he'll make a great pet and we're all going to pitch in for dog food..." In a weak moment I said, "Oh, why not?" forgetting that when Son #2 moved home for the summer he would also bring his new companion. His name is Lincoln, and we're trying to convince him that he is not the President and this is not his White House.
You see Maggie, our seven year old boxer, has been queen of this home since she was 8 weeks old. Having full reign, she has never learned (or needed to) about sharing her space, her toys, her backyard, or her family. All belonged to her and she was good with that. Enter an enthusiastic (perhaps somewhat eccentric) 1 1/2 year old puppy (part boxer/part gazelle/part giraffe) who is taller than she and has springs in his legs. It wasn't pretty--snarling, growling, bouncing, wrestling... After the first few days, I was certain that somebody was not going to make it.
Tension was high. Clearly there was an "our dog" vs. "your dog" mind set as we attempted to restore peace. "He was biting her ear!" "She jumped on him first!" We have swatted with rolled newspaper and raised our voices more than once. (At times I thought I was revisiting the boys' childhood days!) Gradually though, we began to see signs of emerging congeniality. The growling subsided and the wrestling became more playful. Now, only a few weeks later, these dogs entertain us. They "box" relentlessly, and the rope toy has become a tug-of-war favorite as they vigorously tussle then collapse for a nap side by side.
Even still we have some training to do. Linc greets our guests by leaping/bouncing on them and licking them with his giraffe-like tongue. He's quite fond of food--beyond the Kibbles and Chunks we offer him. He has taken out two raw hamburger patties, a plate of homemade teacakes, an 8-pack of hamburger buns, two sticks of butter, a slice of pizza, and a fresh peach. Needless to say we no longer leave anything on the kitchen counter unattended! These antics have proved frustrating, but they have also provided laughter--much needed cheer.
Around the Fourth of July table as we were sharing Linc's latest escapades, Jim's dad shared his own dog stories from years past. We laughed--belly laughed at times (especially about the hounds that swiped the neighbors' steaks off their grill) and were so thankful. What a joyful sound! Some time ago I read, "The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain." That laughter felt so good... down to our toes good.
On Father's Day last month I was especially grateful for Sarah Young's devotion about laughter in Jesus Calling:
"Laughter lightens your load and lifts your heart into heavenly places. Your
laughter rises to heaven and blends with angelic melodies of praise. Just as
parents delight in the laughter of their children, so I delight in hearing My
children laugh. I rejoice when you trust Me enough to enjoy your life
lightheartedly."
What a beautiful picture! That melody of a child's laugh is contagious, and there has been a lot of laughter in our home through the years. Few people I have known loved to laugh and make people laugh as Jim did. His quick wit was his trademark as he loved to kindle smiles and lighten moods. Just last Father's Day we gave him a new bathing suit which he immediately slipped on over his dress pants for the annual photo with the boys. No need to say, "Smile!" for that pose!
I am so thankful that each of the boys has been blessed with some of that Gibson wit. To know that the Lord is delighted to hear us laugh encourages us to find humor in our days--even if the source is a sometimes out-of-control rescue dog. So even though Caleb's/our new boxer has created some, umm... problems, he has made us laugh--even almost howl at times. Surely this is good medicine.
"Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy."
Psalm 126:2
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