I have long been an empty nester and am elderly in years. Awhile back, my daughter, concerned about my situation, urged me to get a pet--preferably a small dog--to be a companion and to make life happier and healthier for me and my husband.
I was willing, but it needed to be small enough and old enough--not a puppy--for me to take care of since my husband, Norm, wasn't really interested. My daughter assured me that if crippling arthritis made it impossible for me to take care of a pet she would take it. I visited pet shelters and pet adoption agencies. I found nothing small enough to meet my requirements. So I decided to wait, hoping to find that perfect ad in the paper that would describe the pet of my dreams.
Then it happened! There was the perfect ad! It described a two and a half year old, 6 pound Papillon dog that was up for adoption. When I saw her, we bonded immediately, and this small loving creature immediately became a member of our household. She brought joy to our sometimes lonely lives. I named her Mimi.
Shortly after she came, I had major surgery and spent a month in a nursing home for therapy. My husband brought Mimi with him every day when he visited me. Many residents at the home, despite TV and planned entertainment, sat in their wheelchairs staring "sightlessly" ahead and showing no interest in anything. They looked as if they saw no tomorrow. But God works in mysterious ways. When Norm wheeled me around the halls with Mimi in my lap, people sat up and looked. Their eyes and attitudes became alert. They wanted to handle and pet Mimi. Everyday, while I was at the home, my little "miracle" dog brought joy and happiness to many of the home's residents because of her loving and caring disposition.
Winnie F. for St. Mark Presbyterian Lenten Devotional, 2005
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