Just Like My Dog

 

Eleanor sat across from me, telling about her woes.  “I guess it started a couple of months ago.  I thought I was doing fine, but then a doctor listened to my heart and told me that it was out of rhythm.  Now, I know better than that – my heart was just fine and I felt fine, except for a little swelling in my feet – but that’s normal for me.”

“I guess you had atrial fibrillation?”  I guessed.

“That’s exactly what he said and after he did an EKG, he seemed certain of it, although I think he was just trying to figure out what specialist to send me to.”

“I’m sure you did have atrial fib,” I told her.  “A lot of people don’t have symptoms, but the EKG is pretty specific.”

“Well, now I’m on an expensive blood thinner and I can just imagine what will happen if I cut my finger while I’m peeling potatoes.  I suppose I’ll just bleed to death and my family will find my body in the kitchen surrounded by pools of blood.”

“I’d just hold some pressure on it,” I said.  “All bleeding eventually stops.”

“My dog just had a stroke,” she told me, switching gears so fast I almost missed the topic change.  “We’re so much alike!  The doctor told me that I’m at risk for strokes too because of my heart and obviously so is my dog.”

That was interesting, although it didn’t really help me with her treatment.

When she ran down talking about her dog, I asked her, “So, how’s your swelling?”

She looked at me funny and then said, “Pretty good really.  Maybe not as good as it once was, but I think I do well unless there is a really hard word – then I might struggle a little.”

I realized that she had misheard what I had asked her.  “Not spelling, swelling,” I repeated.

“Oh,” Eleanor said.  “I wondered why you were asking about my spelling.”

It is interesting to think about how similar people are to their pets (or maybe vice versa).  Overweight people are more likely to have overweight pets.  Clearly this isn’t a genetic issue, but related to a mixture of lifestyle and activity levels.  People have noticed that couples who have been married a long time begin to look like each other – once again, not because of genetics (except in the case of the royal families of Europe), but because of proximity.

Jesus told His followers that they needed to have a close connection with Him, just as the branches of a grape vine need to have connection with the main part of the vine.  “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:6)

Spending time with Jesus, talking to Him and thinking about Him and His life are some of the best ways to become like Him.  It is interesting that an older lady becomes like her dog, but so much better if she becomes like Jesus.  It is a promise that those who abide in Him will bear much fruit, not only receiving blessing, but in turn blessing those around them.