Somebody forgot to tell my 11-year-old Shih-tzu, Mickey, that he’s about 80 by human standards because when he decides to take off running, he’s like a bullet out of a gun! This morning, his dash seemed even a bit faster (perhaps because I was in my robe and bare feet; he rarely picks a time to take off when I’m in my tennis shoes and workout clothes!)

I have developed a habit of jumping into my car to chase Mickey down because I get better results. He’s more likely to jump into my car as he thinks we’ll be going somewhere and he’s correct except that it’s back home. As I was pretty ticked off, some time in the car would be good to cool off.

However, I didn’t have to drive too far and actually found my neighbor and her granddaughter holding Mickey by his leash. I don’t know most of my neighbors and those I do, the reason is usually related to dogs or cats. Today was such a day.

But then again, the reason was a bit different. As I chatted with my neighbor, I found out that her little granddaughter was just four years old and had had cleft palate surgery. The little girl is staying with her because her Mom had twins recently and is recovering from an infection and is in the hospital.

Suddenly, that ticked off feeling left me and I realized a different purpose in Mickey’s tricky behavior. I reached into the backseat of my car and pulled out a copy of “Mooser on the Loose”, a children’s book I wrote about Mickey and his brother, Moose, who only has one-eye. I handed it to my very appreciative neighbor and her very quiet granddaughter. I asked my neighbor her daughter’s name and told her I would pray for her.

God has a way of bringing blessings into situations that seem to have a totally different feel to them. Like Mickey, God’s kind of tricky that way.