Vive La Familia!

My little sister Andrea got a dog for her 14th Birthday. It's a schnauzer (yeah I doubt I spelled that right, but oh well!) and probably one of the most vicious dogs I have ever seen. Usually she's really nice around our family. She absolutely LOVES Andi and gets along pretty well with the rest of us. But for some reason, this little 1ft dog thinks she can take on the rest of the world and win!

She's especially got a thing against the neighborhood boys who gather around our house from time to time. The poor little guys will knock on our door and the first thing that comes out of their mouth when we open is, "Is Ginger there?" At the sound of their voices, wherever she is in the house she'll come running, barking shrilly as she comes scratching and sliding along the wood floors.

"Aaaaaaaa!" They'll scream, and shut the door. They won't let us open it until we're holding her back. Even then she snarls and snaps at them as if to say, "Just try something bud! Just you try!" She's become the neighborhood bully and for once we don't have people running randomly through our yard.

What is it with little dogs? The giant Great Danes are usually as playful and gentle as kittens, but the tiny Chihahuas are like paranas on land! They're both fearless and ferocious. And while we can say from behind a glass, "Oh look how cute!" when they're barely two weeks old, we have quite a different mindset when we're faced with their annoying yapping and snapping a year or two later.

On the contrary, our big old Golden Retriever, Saaj, is loved by all who've come to our house. Even dog haters have fallen for his enormous, sad, brown eyes and winning, puppy smile. Whenever we talk about him we refer to him as "Baby".

When we were looking for a dog we had hoped for one who would be gentle with kids but firm with rats and thieves. Well, we got the gentle with kids part, but the rats? Our big ol' baby cries every time he smells one, and hides behind my mom. He thinks that everyone is his friend and we've had our barbecue, our first outdoor table, two bikes and more stolen since he's been with us.

The contrast of these two is hilarious to watch. Ginger will smell someone and start barking up a storm. Saaj will usually whine and cry and beg us to make her stop, sometimes he'll bark at her, but not very angrily. Sometimes Saaj will get scared of a sound and start to cry. Ginger will just stare at him with her head cocked and this confused look on her puppy face.

But as different as those two are, they still really like each other and help each other. Sometimes we'll be watching TV upstairs as a family, and Saaj will be downstairs because he's got arthritis. Ginger will go down and a little later we'll hear his heavy steps along with her light pattering come up the steps. Whenever Andrea leaves, Ginger is distraught. She'll go and sit in Andi's bed and just wait there with these sad eyes until she comes back. Saaj sometimes goes and sits beneath the bed with her to keep her company. She doesn't cry as much when he's there.

God designed families. They're very important to him, because they represent his relationship with us. But many times, as humans, we big mistakes and bad choices. As a result, our families are poor pictures of God's love for the church. He made families so that we would mold and meld together. We're all different in different places and as a result, we fit together if we allow him to draw us close enough. Even down to the pets of our family, he knew what he was doing.

Today thank him for your family. Even if it's not perfect, God can still mend what we have broken. He creates the roses that bloom among the ashes, and he can do the same with your life. Thank him for families.