Entry #28 - The Flea

Definition: “a small, wingless, jumping insect that is parasitic and blood-sucking”

Yep, that was him!  He was not an insect, but he was our little dog—a short-hair dachshund. He was a small, miniature doxie. And although he was wingless, he was convinced he could fly. He was indeed a jumper! Parasitic and blood-sucking? According to my husband, that gets a definite “YES!” In fact, my husband used to refer to him as his symbiont—always following, staring, staying underfoot, never more than a few inches away.

His official name was Philemon Ushnik Thomas Wheezer Willmon, at least that was how his paperwork was filed. Many people pronounce Philemon (the 29-verse, single-chapter book of the Bible between Titus and Hebrews), “fa-LEE-mon.” From there, the name was easily shortened to “Flea-man” hence, “The Flea.”  My father-in-law was determined never to call a dog “Flea” and sought to find the German equivalent. Alas, “Floh” was no better. So “Flea” remained his name.

We bought him from some dear friends of ours, and when we chose him (or he chose us), I remember my friend asking, “Are you sure you want THAT one? He’s a little active!” She was right. Flea was scheming and conniving—always plotting and planning his next move. He was a connoisseur of ice cream—only the best would do. Perhaps Flea’s most inconvenient bad habit was awaking us every two hours during the night. It was just like clockwork, 12 pm, 2 am, 4 am—and not for bathroom breaks, but for star-gazing! He loved to sit and watch the stars; and so do I, but not every two hours! It’s hard to believe that Flea has been gone for just a year now. Despite his annoying habits, I still miss the little guy.

I suppose life is like that—full of ups and downs. Good times and bad times. Times of cheer and times of sorrow. Times full of friends and times of feeling alone. Yet the Christian is never truly alone; God is always with us. Moses knew this. In difficult times, I often revisit the exchange between God and Moses found in Exodus 33:11-17 (NIV). The passage is a little longer than I usually include in my blogs, but I want to share some of it with you:

“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend,” (v. 11).
 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name,” (vs. 14-17).

All people suffer disappointments, struggles, trials, sorrow, grief, and loss. But the distinguishing feature for the Christian is that God is with us. He is our source of comfort and strength. He is the One who provides peace—the kind of peace too precious to fully understand. He is the ONE who provides rest when our minds cannot seem to settle down during the night. He is the ONE who helps us crawl out of bed in the mornings and face the new day when we would rather stay in the comfort zone of our covers. He is the ONE who understands our struggles. He is the ONE who will never leave us alone—because He is pleased with us and He knows us by name.

Our family has had many pets come and go in our lives. Each of them special for a variety of reasons. However; for me, I’ll always remember The Flea. How humbly thankful I am that my Heavenly Father will always remember me.

Respectfully written and submitted by:

Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian