Dwelling in ZION

Lucky me, to have had a dog named Zion to write about on this difficult-letter-day and last post of the 2012 Challenge!

He was a Christmas gift to my husband, a gem of a Golden Retriever who lived with us for a wonderful eleven years. In that short time he gave a lot of love, taught a lot of lessons, and left so many wonderful memories in our hearts. He died last November, a day after a last wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in which my entire family was able to be here to love on him, say thanks…and sneak him bites of turkey under the table one more time. We miss him more than words can say.

I entered two blogs in this year’s Challenge, posting only previously-written material on my A Heart 4 Heaven site, and writing more spontaneously here. As I reviewed my stash of stories to select some for the other page, I was struck by how many of them were about that most precious pup and the things he taught us while he was here.

My decision to start this new blog and enter it in the Challenge was simply to stretch myself in new ways as a writer. I took the event title literally, using challenge as my theme and examining aspects of the same as they related to blogging, writing, and living my life. My other site was the spiritual one; I didn’t particularly expect this one to be as well. So I was surprised to find that from the first post on, God snuck His way in!

I shouldn’t have been, of course. When He entered my life, He did so completely, making each day a joy and life an adventure that He leads me through, a day…a step…and sometimes just a word, at a time. I simply can’t sift out the God-parts of my days when writing while at the same time seeking to be more fully entwined with Him in living. Maybe God’s purpose in starting this blog was to show me that.

All I know is that I’m thankful for the experiences of this past month. I’m grateful to the organizers for working so hard to make it the fun event it turned out to be... thankful for the visitors who gave of their time to read and comment on my posts… thankful for the new friends I made, the technical knowledge I acquired, and the slew of new sites to visit repeatedly over the upcoming months. 

Perhaps the greatest blessing was the revelation of these past thirty days: Lucky me, to still have “Zion“, the dwelling place and presence of God, to fully experience and write about until the end of my days. For that especially, I give thanks.

“…I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
(Joshua 1:5 NIV)