Roo Devotional

My (very talented writer) friend, Alisa, publishes the Granola Bar Devotional - a book of devotionals, from women, for women - that has been going out quarterly. She's currently compiling enough devos for a year to go in one big book! She's also begun publishing these devos online as part of our JANES (women's ministry at BAF) outreach in order to reach women EVERYWHERE for Christ!

Alisa's been bugging me FOREVER to write a devo of my own. I've had one in my head & on my heart, & have yet to write it. I did, however, have a recent experience that I felt lead to share about...to get the word out about it & also to show how God played a big part in it. You can see my devo on the Granola Bar Devotional site as it was published. Understandably, Alisa had to edit it down just a bit for length (to fit in the booklet). So, I've decided to share with you all my original, unedited devo here... You can see how wordy I am! haha

____________________________________________________________ Roo on surgery day ______________________________________________________

Roo

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been OCD about my routine when I leave the house. This is for many reasons: paranoia about fire (instilled by my Father), being a single woman, & mostly because that’s just my nature. One of the many things in my routine is to pray over my home & my puppies before I leave each day. Not anything huge, just a quick request that God watch over them & keep them safe, healthy, & happy while I’m gone & that He place a hedge of protection over my home. In the past few months, I’ve heard Him speaking to me LOUDLY that He IS watching over me…not anything I can hear, but in signs He gives me. One of the largest & most poignant signs of that came recently…

While leaving for work one day, my oldest dog (nicknamed Roo) was sick. Nothing major, she had just thrown up. I thought nothing of it, cleaned it up & left. When I came home that night, she had again been sick, several times in fact. I had a vet appointment the next morning for another of my dogs, & made a mental decision to bring Roo as well.
When they worked her up, I mentioned that I’d felt a lump in one of her mammaes (breasts) a few months ago, but thought due to its nature it was probably just a cyst. They said they’d check it out. Later that afternoon, I received a call from the vet. Dr Stacy told me that Roo was feeling better & blood work was fine, but she had come back with markers for breast cancer! I was devastated! Roo has been with me for 6½ years, my closest companion through lots of changes while living so far from home. Dr Stacey recommended radical surgery which included removing that breast, the adjoining one, & her adjacent lymph node, as well as spaying her. I agreed immediately & the surgery was soon done. Roo bounced back wonderfully following her MAJOR surgery & has been blossoming under the added attention she’s been receiving.

I, on the other hand, was having such a “why” attitude towards the whole affair…why Roo? Why me? Then, I called my best friend. Someone who’s been a big part of my Christian walk in the past several years, & someone who I miss greatly, as she lives far away. Tiffany said, “Sister, that’s amazing!” Amazing??? She went on to remind me that if Roo hadn’t been sick the night before, I wouldn’t have brought her in that day & remembered to mention the lump I’d felt so many weeks before. It may not have been diagnosed until her next bi-annual check-up. She said, “It’s so God!”
I felt God WINK at me just then. I heard a song in my head that I hadn’t heard since being in the Catholic Church years before: “I Will Never Forget You” by Carey Landry. I looked it up, & it was from Isaiah 49:14-16:

14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me."
15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? 
Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.


He was once again shouting to me, that He is watching over me!

Roo’s pathology results came back as a “carcinoma,” a malignancy, but it also showed NO metastasis to anywhere else, & the prognosis is good! Tiffany was right. It was SO God!


Here are the words to that old song:

I Will Never Forget You (by Carey Landry)

I will never forget you my people,
I have carved you in the palm of my hand.
I will never forget you,
I will not leave you orphaned,
I will never forget my own.

Does a mother forget her baby,
Or a woman the child within her womb?
Yet, even if these forget,
Yes, even if these forget
I will never forget my own.


Some information on Canine Mammary Cancer (CMC):

Canine mammary cancer is very preventable.
Dogs who are spayed before their 1st estrus (heat) have 0.5% chance of developing mammary cancer.
Dogs who are spayed after their 1st but before their 2nd estrus have 8% chance of developing mammary cancer.
After their 2nd estrus, a dog's chances of developing mammary tumors increases to 26% & stays there for the most part.
Estrogen is thought to be the main component, as with humans, so even after their 2nd estrus, it's still advisable to have a dog spayed.

If you notice any lumps or irregularities ANYWHERE on your dog, but especially in the area of their mammaes or testicles (in males - ie: different sizes or swelling) PLEASE seek out your veterinarian immediately. Do NOT wait, as I did. I know better now.
Most importantly, please SPAY or NEUTER your pets! This gives them the best chance at a healthy life...not only to control the pet population (also important). We must all be responsible pet owners. I would have spayed Roo after her 1st (& only) litter had I realized the importance.

I've learned my lesson. Let mine be yours!