Roo

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been very routine when I leave the house. One of the many things in my routine is to make a quick prayer over my home and my puppies. In the past few months, I’ve heard God speaking to me LOUDLY that He is watching over me. He gives me small signs that He is listening. One of most poignant signs He has given me came recently.

While leaving for work one day, my oldest dog (nicknamed Roo) was sick. I didn’t think it was anything major; she had just thrown up. I thought nothing of it, cleaned it up and left. When I came home that night, she had again been sick. I had a vet appointment the next morning for another one of my dogs, and I made a mental decision to bring Roo as well. When the veterinarian staff worked her up, I mentioned that I’d felt a lump in one of her mammaes (breasts) a few months ago.

I explained that due to its nature, I thought it was probably just a cyst. They said they’d check it out. Later that afternoon, I received a call from the vet. Dr. Stacy told me that Roo was feeling better and the blood work was fine, but she had come back with markers for breast cancer! I was devastated! Roo has been with me for 6½ years; she is my closest companion who has endured lots of changes while I’ve been living so far from home.

Dr Stacey recommended radical surgery, which included removing that breast, the adjoining one, and her adjacent lymph node, as well as spaying her. I agreed immediately, and the surgery was soon done. Roo bounced back wonderfully following her MAJOR surgery and has been blossoming under the added attention she’s been receiving. I, on the other hand, have been having such a “why” attitude towards the whole affair. Why Roo? Why me?

I called my best friend who has been a big part of my Christian walk in the past few years. Tiffany said, “Sister, that’s amazing!” Amazing??? She went on to remind me that if Roo hadn’t been sick the night before, I wouldn’t have brought her in to the vet’s office the next day and remembered to mention the lump I’d felt so many weeks before.

It may not have been diagnosed until her next bi-annual check-up. She said, “It’s so God!” I felt God WINK at me just then. I heard a song in my head that I hadn’t heard since being in the Catholic Church years before: “I Will Never Forget You,” by Carey Landry. God was once again shouting to me that He is watching over me!

Memory Verse:
“But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.’”
– Isaiah 49:14-16 (NIV)

Prayer Prompt:
“Father, God, thank You for never forgetting me and for watching over me even when I don’t realize it. Help me now to recognize all that You have done and are doing for me, starting with…”

Contributing Writer:
Robin McNaueal