As I recap all the wonderful things we’ve been blessed with, I feel the need to share the story of our dog, Zeus. My childhood dog passed away last year and I knew that it wasn’t going to be long until I owned a dog of my own. My husband and I had been talking about it since we got married but we didn’t have the space or the finances to purchase a dog. We had just acquired a cat and buying food, toys and keeping her up to date with vaccines was expensive. But, for some reason, I had always wanted a Siberian Husky so I began to pray about it. We were also praying to move into a bigger space and there was a house that was promising but we wouldn’t know until later on. I looked on Craiglist, searched rescue facilities and lurked on the SPCA page to no avail. But one day, my husband went to work and one of his coworkers asked him if he wanted a free dog. “Well, what kind of a dog?” my husband asked. The answer made my heart skip a beat, “a husky.” So we went that day to see him and take him out for a walk. When learned a lot about him, like how he had never had an owner for more than 6 months, and he was about to turn a year old. He was confined to a kitchen space filled with chihuahua dogs. He ate cat food and his favorite treat was a McDonald’s cheeseburger. He was really thin and his hair was matted out. They didn’t give him baths or brushed his fur. I knew that God had answered our prayers and wanted us to care for this dog. We started taking him home a few times a week to bond with him. This dog was out of control! He didn’t know how to walk on the leash, obey simple commands and he jumped on anyone who was close to him. We were frustrated a lot, but we knew this dog could be so much more. 

Finally, we were able to move into our new home; another answered prayer. We got Zeus as soon as we could and set up an appointment to get him neutered and up to date with vaccines. 

We enrolled him in dog training classes to help with the jumping and stubborn personality only to find out we can’t do much about his stubbornness. But, he was a lot more manageable and easy going. He learned a few tricks and got to go out more because he was leash trained. He really began to blossom. He gained weight, his fur was shiny and he started wagging his tail!

We learned a few new things about Zeus:

1. He loves going to the dog park. Dog interaction is essential for him.
2. He needs two walks a day if we want to be productive at home, haha.
3. He likes to be around Avena (our cat). He always lays in the room she’s in.
4. Toys are his thing, and not just any kind, the teddy bear looking ones. We have to hide our Christmas stuffed animals because he will get ahold of them and destroy them.
5. His crate is his bedroom. He goes there when he’s tired, nervous or overwhelmed. It’s his safe place.
6. We are his favorites. He sings to us and tries to get us to play with him at any given moment. He will let us hug him and kiss him all over, something that has taken time to get used to.
7. He is famous where we live. People know us because of Zeus. He is friendly and will stop at nothing to say hi to a stranger that walks by us.

I say all this because prayer works. Even the smallest details of our lives matter. I prayed for my husband, my cat, my dog, my house—everything has a God story behind it. I can’t help but give glory to God for what He has given me this year. My life is full of meaning and enriched because of it.