The Worry Window and The Very Brave Dog

This is Schroeder. Pretty adorable, right? We've had him two and a half years now, and we think he's about three and a half or four. We don't know exactly how old he is because he was picked up as a stray and taken to an animal shelter. This is the first photo I saw of him:

When I saw this picture on Petfinder, I knew we had to get this dog. All we know about his story before he joined our family is that he looked a little like Chewbacca because of his matted hair and that a kindhearted woman picked him up from the side of the road where he was wandering around as a stray. He'd been at the shelter for three weeks before we adopted him, and no one ever came looking for him. This is what Schroeder looks like today:

He now loves peanut butter, pumpkin treats, and naps in the papasan chair. He's settled into his routine in our family and no longer cries like he did when we first adopted him and one of us would leave the house. He seemed to think we were leaving for good. He doesn't do that anymore.

But the thing about Schroeder is this. He hasn't forgotten what happened to him, whatever that was. It shaped the way he thinks. Every night, while our other dog Maddie is sneaking into bed, Schroeder hops up in the windowsill and watches. Sometimes in the middle of the night, he'll start howling because he's seen a bird or a cat or a tree limb moving.

I just can't seem to convince him he's safe now. That he doesn't have to always be on guard.

Last night I got up to get some water and found Schroeder dutifully standing in the windowsill, guarding our family. So I picked him up and carried him to the dog bed in our room and rubbed his belly for a few minutes. I told him to relax, that we were all okay and that he didn't need to worry.

And then it hit me.

I don't need to worry either. It's time to get out of the windowsill.

How often do we go over to our worry windows and watch for what might be coming? How often do we fear the cats or the noises the palm trees make in the breeze, then sound the alarm in fear? When all the while, God is calling to us, saying, "Come with me"?

Remember the story of Mary and Martha? While Mary was running around trying to finish everything that needed to be done, Martha caught hold of the bigger picture, and because of that, she was able to spend some time in the presence of God.

What does your worry window overlook? Today I want to encourage you to let go to God. He knows the cares and worries of our heart. He doesn't want to diminish those concerns, He just wants to give you a bigger perspective. He will keep you safe. Let Him watch the window for a while.

Do you ever find yourself trying to micromanage the dreams God has put on your heart? Maybe you've come to a place where you're nearing your goals, just like Schroeder finding a home, and you feel like you have to protect those things from danger. How can we take a step back and trust those things to God?

Two Dog Bowls and a Merciful God

I wrote this blog post back in 2010, when my only readers were my mom, and on a good day, my husband. As I was thinking about something to post for today, I found this, and it touched me all over again. I hope as you prepare for the next season of your life, be it back-to-school preparations or getting ready for conferences, you are encouraged by this message to persevere in your writing. Things may not look how we expect, but God always has a plan ahead of us.

I've also included a couple newer pictures of the puppies for your viewing pleasure. :)

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Schroeder's favorite spot to nap is on top of the couch. He seems to think he's a cat.

Maddie enjoying a Greenie treat. Doesn't she look like she's smiling?

A few months ago, though, we decided Maddie needed a friend. I'm a huge believer in animal rescue, as there is currently a terrible problem with pet overpopulation in America, so naturally I started researching dogs at various local rescues.

I didn't want a shelter dog (from a kill shelter) because shelter dogs have a stigma. They're not always vaccinated. They sometimes come with emotional baggage. And let's face it, kill shelters are terribly sad.

But then I found Schroeder, my handsome purebred Cocker Spaniel, and he changed all that. We took a chance on him, and oh, what a glorious "chance" it turned out to be.

So you can see how my dogs teach me daily about redemption. They came from awful situations, and now they're sleeping on Brookstone blankets. At least, when we're not looking.

That's where this blog fits in.

Maddie has this obsession with their food bowls. She wants their food to be in both bowls. If one bowl has food but the other doesn't, she will paw at the empty bowl until someone comes to fill it up. So the other day, there I am, sitting on the couch and watching TV, and Maddie walks over to her food bowls and proceeds to shamelessly paw at the empty one in an effort to get my attention. I told her, "Maddie, you have plenty of food in the other bowl. Eat out of that one." Reluctantly, she walked over to it and ate from it.

And in that moment, I thought to myself, how many times does God say to me, "Ashley, you have plenty of food in the other bowl. Eat out of that one."? Sometimes we get so distracted with what we think is the perfect means of sustenance that we miss out on the bigger bowl. We're so filled with discontent that it blinds us from seeing provision.

In what ways do you find yourself focusing on the empty bowl, and how has God called you to a bigger one He's already provided?

All that Jazz

What are you passionate about? What kinds of things do you enjoy doing? Maybe you're really great at cooking, or knitting, or you actually don't kill the flowers you plant in your garden. Maybe you have kids who say really hilarious things that bring you joy, or you've got some secret skills at ballroom dancing. 

Have you ever thought about incorporating these things into your writing?

Your passion can make all the difference in fueling your writing and giving it that extra little spark. It can also play into your voice as a writer.

For me, my passion is animal rescue. In my first book, my lead character has a paralyzed pit bull who she's rescued. She loves her dog very much, and this ended up being a great way for me to use symbolism and also to show the deeper layers of my character's emotions. I also tried to address some common misconceptions about rescue dogs in my writing.

This topic came naturally to me, and it was easy to imagine how the character would feel about her dog because I care about animals so deeply. Above is a picture of me with a lab mix named Pepper who was abandoned in my neighborhood. My husband and I noticed that she was hanging out near these people's yard and both expected her to go home. A few days went by, and she was still there. At that point, we realized what had happened.

Someone abandoned her.

This happens to dogs all the time, and it makes me sick. People think they can just throw away a life because it's inconvenient for them to keep up with a responsibility they chose to take on. Meanwhile, dogs like Pepper have no way to understand what's happening. She was probably waiting in the same spot that whole time because she was expecting them to come back. They didn't. We tried to put her in our car to drive her home, but she was so scared every time my husband picked her up that she started shaking and would leap away from the car. So my husband ended up carrying her home. We found an no-kill animal rescue that would take her, and she got adopted within three days. We found out later that our other neighbors had already called animal control to come pick her up and take her to the animal shelter. Had we not picked her up when we did, there is no way she would've made it out of the animal shelter alive. She is a black dog, a mix breed, and adult, and was too skinny. These are all factors that would've kept her from getting adopted. That's the reality of animal control. Only about 1 out of every 2 dogs that go into an animal shelter come out. That's why rescues are so important.

Pepper now lives with a very nice family with kids she watches over.

Something similar happened with this dog, Lexie. As you can see from the photo, Lexie is a gorgeous, purebred Sheltie. She almost walked into my husband's car one day as he was driving home. She was filthy and way too hot. She had a small leash attached to a dirty collar, so we assumed someone must've lost her on a walk. We posted "Found Dog" signs all over our neighborhood and surrounding streets, expecting a call in no time. No one ever came for her. Worked out in the end because tests showed Lexie was severely heartworm positive. She wouldn't have lived much longer without treatment. We were fortunate that she is purebred and were easily able to get her into a Sheltie rescue. She was adopted several months later by a wonderful vet in New Orleans and is now doing great. This little dog that was too scared to even drink water or eat a treat at our house is now loves bananas and toys that make annoying noises, according to her family. It might sound silly to you that I would pray for a dog, but I did with Lexie. I love this dog. We had her two days, and that was all it took for me. But there's no way she would've gotten along well with our Cocker Spaniels, and I knew she could find a better home if I let her go. And she did. :) I begged God to send her a sweet family who would love her and who she could love in return, never again facing the neglect she'd once endured. I am so thankful He answered the way He did.

When I was brainstorming my new novel with my agent a few months ago, she suggested I include a dog in the story because it's a topic I care about and also a topic people identify with. After all, who doesn't like dogs? Even if you aren't a dogs-in-the-house kind of person, who hasn't smiled when they see a puppy?

I thought I'd include a couple pictures of Maddie and Schroeder's new haircuts, because--well, aren't they just so cute?

What topics are important to you? Do you have a particular skill that's interesting? Have you ever considered writing about these things? I can't wait to hear about all the issues and interests that matter to you!