As I write this letter we are coming to the end of eight weeks of puppies at The
Vicarage. Daisy gave birth to 6 Cavapoo puppies on 17th February – 5 male and 1
female – and by Monday 14th April they will all be going off to their new homes near
and far (apart from one that died at just a few days old). One is even going to our
son in Salisbury which is why we did the whole puppy thing in the first place!
On reflecting upon these eight weeks, I think I’ve learned a couple of things!
Firstly, I’ve been amazed at what a wonderful mother Daisy has been. She’s a bit of a
wimp of a dog and I really wondered what kind of a mother she would make – but
(forgive my mixing of species) she took to it like a duck-to-water. From the birth, to
cleaning them up, to feeding, to weaning – she’s been truly amazing. Where did she
learn all this? She certainly hasn’t attended NCT classes or read a book on puppy
care (at least as far as I’m aware) and yet she knew exactly what to do. Of course, it
was instinct – she innately knew what to do and when to do it – but nonetheless it’s
quite amazing to see that instinct kick into action.
This got me thinking about what might be innate in me and I was reminded of Saint
Paul’s words in Romans chapter 7, ‘I do not understand what I do. For what I want to
do I do not do, but what I hate I do….For I have the desire to do what is good, but I
cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want
to do—this I keep on doing.’
It would seem that within me there is an innate desire to do good and to do bad, or
as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, states: ‘The line separating good and evil passes not
through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties – but right
through every human heart’. For me, one of the main reasons I have continued as a
Christian is because my experience of this faith has helped the innate goodness
within me to grow and the innate badness to lessen – or at least I hope so!
Secondly, having puppies is not for the faint-hearted! They are very cute initially but
then they grow needle-sharp teeth and a seemingly never-ending capacity to pee
and poo everywhere – not to mention the chewing of things that shouldn’t be
chewed and the constant fighting and whining at very inconvenient times of the day
and night! But despite all this, by God they are fun, and fill one’s heart with joy. And
isn’t life itself a little like this – hard and messy work at times, but also full of fun and
joy at others – and especially when we seek to grow the good and diminish the bad
within us with God’s help.
Yours in Christ

Simon