November 4, 2002
DOWN HOME:
Betsy wins test of morning wills
___Betsy won.
___A few weeks ago, I told you about our decision to move Betsy to the laundry room.
___For almost 11 years, Betsy slept in the same bedroom as Joanna and me. When we got her, we didn't want her roaming the house at night. So, we bought a wire kennel and placed her in our bedroom, two feet from my side of the bed.
___This worked for about a decade.
___Then, like lots of folks getting on up in years, Betsy began to snore. This isn't a huge deal, since she's a small dog and her snoring sounds more like a cat purring than an elephant gargling. And even when she snores loudly enough to wake me, she usually rolls over and quiets down when I rattle her kennel just a bit.
___But then Betsy started getting particular and even cranky about getting up in the morning. And since Betsy can't really tell one day of the week from another, she even wanted to get up early on the weekends. Like about 5 or 5:15 a.m. early.
___Now, I can understand a certain calling to get up early in the morning. And I understand the urgency of the calling can increase with age--in dogs, just as in humans. So, I tried to honor that by getting up, letting Betsy out, and then going back to sleep after she came back to the house.
___Problem is, Betsy thinks our house is a full-service motel, with a 24-hour kitchen. She's grown increasingly particular about wanting breakfast early in the morning, too.
___So, one Sunday when I didn't wake up for Betsy but Jo did, my wife decided Betsy should change bedrooms. The laundry room seemed like a good fit. It's cool in the summer and warm in the winter. And, best of all, it's across the downstairs from our bedroom, on the other end of the den and kitchen.
___For awhile there, Jo's plan seemed brilliant.
___Betsy went to her kennel and bedded down for the night. And when she snored or complained about wanting to get up in the morning, we slept in silence.
___Then Betsy decided she could cry loudly enough for us to hear her. And, smart dog that she is, she knew we knew she knew we could hear her. So, unlike a mature dog (11, of course, is 77 in dog years), she behaved like a 2-year-old child. That is, with loud and ferocious endurance. She complained early, bitterly and regularly about her exile to the laundry room. Eventually, Jo and I decided we'd all get more sleep if Betsy moved back to our bedroom.
___I admit prayer confuses me sometimes. But when Betsy was carrying on, I remembered Jesus' parables about prayer--the neighbor coming at midnight and the woman pleading before the judge. They wouldn't shut up and go away, and they got what they needed.
___Well, Betsy taught me about that parable. Pray fervently, without ceasing.
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