We’ve had the cutest little dog at home for almost 15 years. He’s a mix of a poodle and a Maltese, and this breed is called a Maltipoo.
My daughters, Jessica and Natalia, had been saying they wanted a puppy ever since they were very young, and that desire only increased when they were at their cousins’ houses or with friends who had puppies.
There was a time when a friend who had relatives with a pregnant dog asked us if we wanted a puppy, to which we said yes. Except it was going to be a surprise for my daughters, Jessica and Natalia.
After school, we went to the house where the puppies were, and to my surprise, we left with not one puppy, but two. The amount of puppies was still abundant, and one of the puppies walked directly to Jessica and stole her heart.
I would fall short of describing the joy these puppies brought to our home. The chaos of training them was part of the process, and looking back, it was worth it.
Sadly, the most mischievous dog found a way to escape. As soon as we realized, we went out into the streets looking for her and asked as many people as we could.
We didn’t find her. And my daughters cried for her a lot.
This situation led to all the love and care now being poured into the dog at home, on Speckales.
This breed of dog is very sweet, and Speckales’s “ddognality” makes him seem even sweeter. As he grew older, it seemed as if he didn’t need to bark, as he only did so when he was angry. Which, by the way, was extremely rare.
As the years went by, Speckales’s pace of movement has slowed down. He walks more slowly and sleeps a lot more. So much so, that sometimes we have to wake him up to take him for walks and to get him to eat.
Now that my daughters Jessica and Natalia have grown up and are increasingly busy with their studies and work, they spend less time playing with Speckales. And he doesn’t seem to mind all the sleeping.
A few months ago, I asked Natalia to set aside time to take him to the vet for his routine appointment. She received the information and very formally agreed to do it, especially knowing that he’d need his vaccinations.
Time passed, and I forgot to follow up. And Natalia also forgot to make an appointment and take him.
A few days ago, Jessica and Natalia happened to arrive home at the same time. I was working on my computer and was quite focused, so I didn’t notice them coming in.
But soon, I realized something wasn’t right, because I heard their worried voices. They were scared, worried, and wondering what had happened to Speckales.
It turns out that when they entered, they found blood on the floor, and one of Spackales’s paws was covered in blood. They asked me what had happened, but I didn’t know. He didn’t complain at all, and he’s so small that his footsteps can barely be heard in the house.
We moved as quickly as we could. In less than 20 minutes, they were already examining him.
Spackales had lost a tooth, which caused the small, shocking hemorrhage. They gave him painkillers and his antibiotics.
Once we were home, and knowing the situation wasn’t critical, we were able to calm down.
After a while, Natalia came to me sobbing:
“Mom, I should have taken him to the vet a long time ago, and I forgot.”
And you, have you ever forgot something that was very hard for you? How did you feel when you realized it?”
Natalia was really saddened by her forgetfulness. Although Speckales was fine, seeing him sedated and wearing a cone to prevent him from hurting himself was very hard for my daughter, as she felt responsible.
During our discussion, we ended up sharing the responsibility, as I had also forgotten to follow up with Natalia for the appointment. Since it’s not something we do very often, it slipped our minds.
We concluded that, since it’s not something we do every month, we’d put it on the calendar and not delete it until Speckales is actually at the vet.
The next step was for Natalia to adjust her schedule to take him.
And Natalia found an emotional rest.
In your case, how do you treat yourself when you remember you forgot something? Do you complain about forgetting? Are you happy to remember?
In Scripture, Jesus tells us that the Advocate will teach us and remind us.
Why is it necessary to remember? Could it be because Jesus knows we forget we are loved?
My daughter found emotional comfort in knowing there was a reminder on the calendar, because she knew that if she ever forgot again, there would be a way to remember.
Perhaps Jesus is fully aware of our forgetfulness, so much so that He mentions it directly; the Advocate will remind you of everything.
If the Spirit leads you, share with Jesus the carpenter any regrets you may have had. And perhaps you will remember that the Advocate does not judge you, loves you, and continues to love you.
Marisol
P.S. We can hear about what the Advocate teaches and reminds us in the readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year/Cycle C.
