I was driving my daughter to youth group when I saw a stain on my knee through the hole in the steering column.The stain was red, about the size of a quarter.
In the parking lot at church after I dropped my daughter off I stuck my nose close to the stain and smelled the stain. It had no noticeable smell.
I thought the stain was from something on the floor in the car. Maybe a cookie? or some food, that got on my jeans when I knelt on the carpet to reach my sweatshirt in the back of the van.
And then I remembered.
Our dog Martha had vomited on the carpet just as we were about to leave for church. I was ready to back out of the driveway, car in gear, just waiting for my daughter to come out of the front door.
“Mom, Martha just barfed on the carpet. She ate the cats food again.”
I hate to be late. Absolutely hate it. But, I couldn’t drive away without cleaning up the vomit and taking care of the dog.
I put the car in park and ran inside the house. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a stainless steel spatula out of the kitchen drawer, and some napkins from the cupboard. I knelt down beside the vomit on my left knee and scooped it into the napkin. I grabbed a chair from the dining room and placed it over the general area of the barf, to clean it later after I got back from church. I didn’t want anyone to unknowingly step in it, while I was away. I put the dog in the basement with a fresh bowl of water, and then ran out the front door.
In the bible Paul says to Rejoice in the Lord Always. How do I rejoice when I have dog barf on my knee? How do I rejoice when I will be late?
1. I am grateful the dog barfed on the throw rug and not on the white carpet.
2. I am grateful the dog did not barf all over the basement while I was away.
3. I am grateful that I did not get angry and drive to church mad.
Now to wash my jeans.
