It’s such a wet Sunday as I write this. It stopped raining a short while ago, but you can see large droplets of water on the plants and puddles all over out on the road. The rain that came was heavy. I like the rain because of how it cools things down for us. If it’s not heavy enough, there’s a kind of mugginess that envelopes us within minutes of it stopping, so I’m glad that this was good rainfall.
I didn’t go to church this morning. I’m a little tired and am managing levels of pain that are coming up for me. Whenever my body is pushed to more exertion these days, the lovely disease that’s an occupying force within me reminds me that it holds the keys. In many senses, it keeps me in check. I need to make sure I have downtime. I don’t think it is a bad thing, except I don’t like the feeling of unwellness that it makes me feel and the heightening of pain levels. It makes me walk funny – or should I say funnier? It makes me trip, slip, roll my ankle, or step a little wrongly as I move about.
Pain is an interesting thing. It makes me miss my mum and dad a lot. My dad, most recently, would ensure that I was fed or had a supply of hot tea coming my way. It would make me feel like I didn’t need to worry too much. Without his presence, it is different, as I still need to get things done. I have to make my own cuppa!
When I feel pain coming up in my body, I often wish I had a full -time butler like Jeeves. At times like this, when even my thoughts feel like they hurt, I think it’d be a good idea to outsource my thoughts to an intelligent being, like Jeeves. There’s character there, unlike the AI that I’m trying to get used to working with. At present, it lacks humour, discretion, and physical appearance. Who knows? This might change in the not-too-distant future!
For now, I have a little ball of fur right next to me. This little one, if I’m honest, even Jeeves has nothing on her! My darling girl, Gamora. Gamora isn’t human, and delightfully so. Her puppy-ness is what I find fascinating and most amusing. There are times, I find it moving. She’s able to relate. She reads situations well and she responds. This challenges me to do the same. A puppy teaching me about my humanity! This is why I’m certain she is such a blessing from God. It is why I feel like He sees me.
When the rain stopped this morning, Gamora and I were napping on the sofa. It’s bliss, I tell you. My housing area is quiet and the stillness is therapeutic. Gamora tends to love these moments when she’s cuddled right by me, and she doesn’t give them up easily, which is why I was surprised to see her suddenly fly off the couch and make urgent noises to want to go out. I let her outside and she flew out to the porch in such haste and started barking rather ferociously.
Recognizing the urgency in her bark, I walked over to her, only to see a large monitor lizard not too far from our front gate. Gamora’s radar for monitor lizards is impeccable. She seems to be able to sniff them out even at a distance. Sometimes in the park, she will spot one that’s having a swim. Even at that point, her little body goes into a ready-to-defend-warrior pose. I do not want her engaging in battle with monitor lizards. As smart as she is, I worry about the reach of their tails, which can hurt her.
I immediately sprang into action and ran to get a long, sturdy spade-like tool I have at the back of the house. Whether it’s a monitor lizard, frog, or cockroach that I encounter, I fervently start whispering prayers. I have such an intense dislike that springs from fear, towards these creatures, but living in a house, you inevitably have to deal with them. I could hear Gamora still letting out her warning barks and I tried as quickly as I could despite the pain my body was in to get back to her, and I did.
There was no more monitor lizard. I stood for a moment blinking, wondering if I’d dreamt the whole thing, when a neighbour who was walking his dog called out to me. ‘Your dog just made that big monitor lizard run!’ He had seen the whole thing unfold. My little Gamora was as proud as could be. She strutted back into our house and settled by me with a sense of satisfaction.
In these moments, I feel a sense of grace. I feel seen by my God. Why? Because I was dreading having to deal with that monitor lizard. I was dreading having to call the authorities for help because I am tired and am in pain. I didn’t want to spend time dealing with this. It is hard to explain the tiredness. I just want the quiet right now.
Thankfully, because of this little four-legged creature He put in my life, quietness is restored. She has been such a blessing, and I am thankful to God for her.
Grace for the soul 
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