Prodigal Dog?

This is a story about a prodigal dog. My dog, Ellie. (She's the one at the top) The dog on the bottom is Penny. She is a hero. This is her tale.

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When Julie and I were visiting my folks in San Luis Obispo, we lost our dog, Ellie.

When I went to feed her one night, I called her, and she didn't come. There was my parent's Golden Retriever, Penny, but no Ellie.

Then I saw our side gate that was swinging open, and I knew that Ellie was long gone. It was almost 7 pm, which meant finding a black dog on a dark night in a large neighborhood. I also remembered that she had just lost her collar and identification tags and so if someone found her, there would be no way for them to get a hold of me. I started panicking.

Dad and I decided that we had to do this as rationally as possible...

We prayed.

And then, just as we were about to start splitting up to search the neighborhood, we noticed that Penny had run off. Not in the yard, not across the street. Oh, wait! There she is! Aghast, my dad and I watched her fluffy golden tail disappear around the corner.

"Penny!" we yelled, afraid that we were about to lose ANOTHER dog. "COME!" Angry, impatient, and frustrated that our rescue search is being delayed due to an old, half deaf dog, we finally scream, "PENNY! COME HERE!"

She stopped,

looked at us,

and then kept on trotting down the street.

Oh, it was on at that point. I, in the lead, start sprinting after this bitch, full tilt. I hear my dad running right behind me. As I run I'm blinded by my pain of losing my dog, anger at this disobedient mutt, and fear for how I'm going to tell my wife that I lost our precious pooch. I'm actually starting to tear up when all of a sudden, I hear Dad say, "She-- she found her! She found Ellie!"

To my amazement, there, in front of me was Ellie-- sniffing and playing with Penny like they had never been separated. My dog was found! Penny found my dog!!

Later we discovered what had happened: Ellie had gotten out of the backyard when my dad's paragliding student had accidentally left the gate open and was picked up by some kids in the neighborhood around 4:30 in the afternoon. They had been going around door to door for the last 2 hours trying to find the owner and had just about decided they were going to quit for the day when they heard us calling after Penny. The rest is history.

We gave Penny an extra helping of dinner that night. Way to go, miracle dog. Thank you, God.

Home and home again

It's hard not to love San Luis Obispo, CA. The ocean is right under your toes, the weather is unbelievable, the atmosphere is casual. Spending time with family was sweet. And there was a new member to my family this time... weighing in at a whopping 6 pounds, 2 ounces.


Holding my brand new niece was unexplicable. I felt so much pride in this little cutie- but seeing her with my sister-in-law and brother was just miraculous.















What is it about new life that is so ... awakening? It's like a gentle reminder from God that He

loves


His


creation.


So much, in fact, that he enables His creation to also share in the joy of creating. What a gift! What Grace! (which is, incidentally, the name of my niece)

I'm not one that's shmoopsy about babies. There are cute ones, u g l y ones, and ones that are easily forgettable. But being an uncle- feeling the responsibility and helplessness in taking care of this child was so .. it.. it just took me off guard. I looked into this child's eyes...



And I experienced a whisper from God. "Look into the eyes of my newness. Look into the depth of my creation-spirit. Laugh with me-- cry with me-- feel the sensations of goodness. I love you, much in the way that you love this child of your brother's. I will protect you, in the ways in which you wish you could protect this babe. I will always be with you- even when you think you don't need me. I will always desire to be near you- even when you feel unlovely and shameful. I will cherish our times together."


This week was a re-awakening for me. Gracie Maralyn Morris, I will always cherish you. Welcome to your family.


Well done, Josh. Well done, Kat. You've changed the world.

(All pictures copyright Josh Morris)

When Christmas Begins

Hello, my dear friends-

Julie and I are in Maple Valley, WA, beginning our journey into family Christmas celebrations. We celebrated Mom's birthday tonight with an amazing three-course meal designed by senior chef Jonathan Morris. As family gathered around the table, I was reminded and humbled by the gift of life. So many factors could have dramatically altered the outcome of this family- for instance: what if mom and dad had gotten so sick that one night in college when they got food poisoning from chicken broth that they couldn't have children? What if Julie had never been born? I shudder to think!

Christmas to me this year is unrivaled to all previous Christmases. It's been a tough year- losing jobs, finding new ones, losing those new ones, getting new jobs, losing those new jobs, being severely sick, having a severely sick dog... We've taken a hit to our sense of security and protection. Love has been stretched, grown, and reinvented. I've often felt like an amateur runner in a massive marathon who has already gotten a stitch in his side after the first hour of running. Is it even worth it to keep running the race if I feel so much pain now?

I watch two of my brothers exchange hugs in the kitchen, and I know that instead of embracing family and personal connection I have much too often succumbed to a worldly mindset of "How much do I have to live on?" Who knows what God is planning for us? Hasn't he been good in providing miraculous ways of taking care of our finances? Yes, God, yes, you have taken care of us- through the generous hands of our family and friends (THANK YOU FAMILY, if you are reading this, we love you so much), and through the daily healing and developing of our hearts as we learn to trust You in this uncertain time.

So, Christmas has begun for me, starting when Julie and I celebrated just the joy of surviving and thriving in another year on this earth. Thank You, God, for this family- this pace of life- this chance to experience Your love in a new, tangible way. We are so lucky.

Tim