Back in 2013, we had hermit crabs. They were a very well thought out decision made when my husband had the kids at the mall one day. Not. They were a momentary lapse in judgement in a vain attempt to comfort the boys from the loss of one of our dogs who passed earlier that year. My very loving, kind and generous response to these crabs was to put my foot down and say, If we have to keep them, I’m not feeding them. I don’t do crabs.
We kept them.
And I kept my promise. We had those little guys for years and I had to listen to them scratching in that glass box in the kitchen. Those crabs were my nemesis. And I never fed them.
Until one day.
If I remember correctly, it had been about two weeks since anyone had fed them, because we were out of crab food. They were scratching like crazy in the box and I’d had enough. I told the boys to get dressed, we were going to the pet store to buy those crabs some food. (because of course, they don’t carry it at Walmart or Kroger, it needed to be hard)
When we arrived at the pet store, they were hosting a pet adoption day for Lone Star Rescue.
The boys wanted to go pet all the dogs and that was perfectly fine by me. I love dogs, but I certainly wasn’t interested in getting another one, so I knew they couldn’t convince me with even the most sophisticated pleas. We started with the enormous white Great Pyrenees. We pet and we cuddled all the way down the row. We were all good… off to get our crab food.
Until that last kennel.
The boys looked in and noticed that dog curled up in a ball. She wouldn’t even look up from her corner of the kennel, so they ran off to look at snakes or something.
But I stayed.
I pried her out of the kennel and held her in my lap while she shook like mad. Of course, they told me her story of abandonment, heart worms and moments away from being put down, when they rescued her. This girl was special and would need LOTS of love.
I called Scott.
I don’t think he believed I was serious until she arrived on our porch a few days later for a home visit with the rescue. The rest is history.
The dog they said would weigh 35 pounds, now weighs almost 85 pounds. She sheds like mad and has eaten everything from the living room carpet to favorite luvies the boys had from birth. She’s turned out to be a lot more than we bargained for, in every way.
She’s been my constant companion.
She’s best of friends with those boys. She has fiercely protected us from any and all visitors at the door. 😉 She’s filled our hearts and our home with love.
She was unexpected.
We never would have gone looking for her, but we found her just the same. And today we celebrate her 3rd birthday!
What has been unexpected in your life this week? This year?
Look for the gift in it.
If you look for it, you’ll find it.
It may not be easy and it may take a while, but it’s there. I promise.
to more love,
Crystal
