And Then He Answered

• Not be a puppy but not be an old dog either.


• Be good around children.


• Have hair, not fur, to decrease the chance of allergies and so as not to shed.


• Be a mid-size or smaller dog.


• Be fixed already and have all its shots.


• And (here's the kicker) be free and delivered to us."

We were smug, sure that that this list would never be met and that we had squelched all future arguments of getting a dog while allowing the kids time to hope and then slowly forget about owning a pooch.

Kids, bless 'em. They were too young to be cynical or doubting. They were forever hopeful. Forever dreaming. And they wanted a dog, dang it! So, faithfully they prayed. And prayed. And prayed.

Every night.

For TWO YEARS.

And then the phone call that they had been waiting for came.

"Robin, I think I've found your dog!" Not my dog; I don't want a dog, remember? "Oh really?"

"Yes! My friends are moving to a place that doesn't allow dogs. They've got a 5-year-old Malt-A-Poo (maltese / poodle mix) that they need to find a home for. She's fixed and up-to-date on her shots. The woman does day care out of her home so the dog is used to little kids. They don't want any money for her, just a good home. Her name is Lucy and if you want her, I can bring her to you when I come up this weekend."

Silence. This could not be. This was NOT in the plan! Not in our plan anyway.

But, we couldn't deny it. Every single requirement was met. Malt-A-Poos are small, practically hypoallergenic dogs with hair, not fur. This one was in the prime of her life and was used to children.

It was the fact that she was free and would be delivered right to us which convinced us. We hadn't told anyone about that part except the kids. All we had to do was say yes.

John and I looked at each other and had to admit it. We were defeated. God had provided a dog for our three kids who faithfully asked day in and day out and never gave up hope. How could we say no when God had said yes?

"We'll take her!"

And you know, we couldn't have been prouder parents than the day Lucy came home, a result of persistent, childlike faith.

Besides, she really is pretty cute.

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"Mommy, I've never been to an amusement park; will you take us to one? Will you take us to Canobie?" my daughter asked as she batted her eyes and stuck out her lower lip in the biggest put-on pout she could muster. My 13-year-old was getting really good at this. She and I exchanged smiling looks that said we both knew the cute act was a bunch of baloney. After all, she knew the drill. Our money had been super tight for so long she could barely remember a time when it was different.

I could also see that though the desire to go to an amusement park was real, she didn't dare to hope. After all, how many times had she wanted something and simply couldn't have it because of lack of funds? The list was getting exhausting. She was being a good sport about our financial situation, but I could sense a resignation to certain disappointment in her and that alarmed me. Learning delayed gratification is a good thing; learned hopelessness is not.

Hating to say it for what seemed like the gazillionth time in the last few years, I hesitated and exhaled slowly before saying "Sorry honey, I just don't have the money". There was a loud silence and the air hung heavy between us. I thought for a moment and said "....BUT....how about if you pray about it and I'll pray about it and we'll see what God does?". She gave me a wan smile and said "Sure" in a tone that said she was anything but. I watched brokenhearted as she turned away, shoulders down in defeat.

"Lord," I prayed with my heart in my throat, "only you know what it would mean to her to be able to go to an amusement park. If it's the right thing for her, please provide a way." I left it at that and went about my business.

Barely a week later, the phone rang at 9:30 on a Saturday night. A friend from church, the secretary there, called. "Sorry to call you so late at night but this is time sensitive. Peter's company outing is tomorrow and we don't want to go." I was a bit confused, not really understanding where this was going. Did she need me to do something at church for her? "The passes are only good for tomorrow but Peter and I were wondering if you and John would like them. They're for Canobie Lake Park."

My mind went blank for a minute as I processed what she had just said. I stammered a bit before asking "How many passes do you have?" I was quivering inside. If she only had four passes, we still couldn't do it. There are five of us in the family and even one pass to Canobie was too much for us.

"Six."

Pause.

"You have six passes to Canobie Lake Park for tomorrow only and you want to know if we want them?" I repeated aloud for the whole family to hear. There was an instant hush and the room grew still as everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me wide eyed.

Blink, blink.

All at once, pure cacophony broke out in my kitchen. Arms were flailing, feet were dancing, and voices were rising in uncontrollable chatter. It was deafening. It was daunting. It was delightful. The votes were in and the results were tallied; we were going to Canobie!

At the end of the following day, as we ate ice cream after a satisfying day of roller coasters, water rides and bumper cars, I silently shot up a prayer of the deepest gratitude to a loving God who cares not only about our needs, but also our desires, even a trip to an amusement park.

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I was a junior and taking driver's ed after school. The half hour wait between when school ended and when driver's ed began afforded me some time to do a little homework, so I sat myself on the floor near the gym and pulled out my books. Leaning against a vending machine, I munched on the mediocre candy bar purchased from some fundraising drive with my last dollar.

Towards the final bites of my candy bar, I began to realize just how thirsty chocolate can make you get. I turned my pockets inside out. I scraped the bottom of my purse. I turned my backpack upside down. I sighed and sat back down. No mon, no fun. Resfusing to drink the toilet water that came from the water fountains, I resigned myself to being thirsty and got back to my homework.

Only about a minute later, one of the basketball jocks came jogging out of the gym during a break from practice and ran right up to "my" vending machine. He put in his money and pushed his selection. Out popped two sodas. I did not know this kid, and this is New England, so it really stood out when, without a blink, he turned to me and said "You want one?".

I gratefully accepted the can he held out to me. When I looked to see what it was I had been blessed with, the biggest, stupidest grin you can imagine made its way across my face. It was a Cherry Coke, my favorite at the time. I got goosebumps and uttered a simple Thank You that came from my toes, then tipped the can and drank up. God had given me a Coke. And a smile.

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