I started this day with prayer and I am looking ahead to tonight when our church has a prayer meeting. But to kick off the morning after prayer I poured a large cup of Door County Turtles In A Cup Coffee.
Proverbs 22:3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.
I took my coffee and our two dogs outside for some training in the dark. The dogs are then instructed to find some canvas training dummies scented with a pheasant wing. This makes them use their nose instead of just relying on their sight. It went very well and it was just a refresher for the older dog. But for the young one who is going to be 6 months old tomorrow it was a very valuable lesson.
The wind had a little bite to it and I soon noticed that I wasn't dressed warm enough to be gallivanting in the yard at 5:AM. The coffee mug became my best buddy as it warmed me up from the inside out.
The wind found the corner of the house that when blown upon gives a soft howl. This tells me that the wind speed was picking up a little. But then came a sound I haven't heard in a long time in this location. The distinct hoot of an owl softly rang out but very clearly. I didn't have my head lamp but as the owl continued to hoot I easily located the intruder perched in a large maple tree on the North side of our property. He was a good sized owl and I believe he was looking for something to eat. The stooge festival of myself and our two dogs must have interrupted his hunt. I did not feel bad about disturbing the intruder at all. Now, some owls will attack dogs and dine on them, but my research shows that they tend to pick on small dogs under 20 pounds. It didn't take long for the owl to know that our two dogs aren't small enough for the him/her to mess with. So the owl left after he realized that he had been located and was in more perceived danger than anything he represented.
But now I will pay closer attention over the next few days to see if the intruder/thief returns to make our maple tree his home.
Friends the lesson here is this. The predator warned me of his presence by not being able to keep his mouth shut. I am not worried about him being able to carry our dogs away, but if the owl nests and feels that it's own young are threatened we could have some scratched up dogs.
In our families we tend to get warnings of trouble before it hits. We need to listen and watch for signs of trouble, especially with kids around. When a child spends too much time alone in their room, it might just be that they want to be anti social or it could be that the Internet has lured them to trouble. Pain pills are another source of trouble and should always be counted and kept under lock and key. Addiction to pain killers has many warning signs and the easiest one to show that there is a problem is to count the pills. A straight A student who now has grades falling into the toilet of life is just not having a bad grading quarter, but something is wrong. Heed the sign and dig deeper. Track the bank accounts if the teen earns money. Where is it going? Are they spending too much time communicating on social media or for some reason did they just give up? Once the signs are there we need to take action or better yet be preemptive and take stock of the pills, Internet time, who is who on their social media accounts and who they hang out with. This can apply to yourself and the other adults in the house. Look at the credit card statements are you impulse buying and spending too much? If one of the legitimate pain pills works fine do you justify taking two instead? The pills were meant for pain not as a sleep aid. Is the flirting at work becoming an obsession? Warning signs, warning signs!!!
Like the owl who gave away his location kids will tell you everything you need to know if you watch and listen for the signs they spill out. And remember, not too long ago you were trying some of your own shenanigans and you should be smart enough to know how to figure out what they are trying. Adults will do the same thing. Sooner or later they present the warning signs of trouble.
So give a hoot and get going on watching for troubles. Pray for your families, there is a lot of stuff out there that just isn't good for them or yourself.
Marty
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