Joy Cometh In The Morning. . .

Our *news* arrived early this morning!!!! We have. . . . . .PUPPIES!!!!!! NINE OF THEM!


If you've been reading this blog for a while, you will know that we have been trying to breed our German Shepherd, Riga, for three years. Well, she finally did it! She had them after I went to bed at 11 p.m. last night and there were eight at 6 a.m.! I thought she was done and was surprised when she had two more while I was at work! We've had so many false alarms so I didn't want to say anything on this blog until I knew for sure she was pregnant. Riga is solid black and so are ALL of her babies! She had ten altogether but one didn't make it. (And I'm afraid we'll lose another one - we'll see.) They make the cutest little squeaky puppy sounds! We have 7 males and 2 females. One has a little white tip on the end of his tail! I wish I knew how to do one of those videos on this blog so you could see AND hear them! We bred her to Luther in February, right after my surgery.



Joy does come in the morning when everything is fresh and new. "Weeping may endure for a night but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5) This month has been a particularly difficult one for me for personal reasons and the catastrophe at Virgina Tech just about put me over the edge. But, God does keep his promises and says He will satisfy us in the morning with His unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14) Waking up to puppies was a gentle reminder of the renewal and rebirth of life.

Chris had the biggest smile on his face when he saw the puppies for the first time this morning. I haven't seen him smile like that in a long while. It was almost like a surprise on Christmas morning.

Brad is doing okay at Virginia Tech. He has a sad and heavy heart, he says. I talk with him daily and remind him that we love him and are there for him and his friends. I thought he would come home this week since classes were cancelled the rest of the week but he said that he and his friends needed to stay together. I saw him on CNN twice on Tuesday in a clip where he is walking to a car with a friend, has a beard (which I haven't seen yet), a black coat, and blue jeans on. My heart just breaks for all those who lost their loved ones in this senseless tragedy.

Just came home from Knoxville . . .had a belated birthday dinner with Dawn at Connor's, one of my favorite restaurants. It was good to talk with a friend tonight. Our friend, Shelley, in Florida called while we were talking and eating so we got to visit with her, too!

Am going on a much needed retreat in the mountains this weekend. What perfect timing after the events of this past week.