Love of: G-God O-outdoors D-dogs

For the love of:

 G.O.D.

(God, Outdoors, Dogs)

To find oneself overwhelmed is not necessarily a negative thing. At least not when that which overwhelms you comes from God and the evidence of His faithfulness generation to generation. I'm just trying to find a way to describe what's in my heart this afternoon, the first Sunday of October. The fire is blazing in the fireplace, John is snoring in his favorite chair, and several Brittany dogs lay nearby. Just back from an amazing morning at church where once again, I simply stand in awe of all that God has done and continues to do in my life. There may not be any rhyme or reason to my musings or reflections here, but I will give it my best shot.

This is actually a blogpost that I was writing while very tired the other night. I fell asleep before finishing (yes a head falling on the keyboard moment!) Today I was motivated to continue writing after looking at several photographs shared by family and friends.

Earlier this year our oldest grandson (pictured here) turned 10. 'Gramie and Grampa' bought him his first Maine hunting license. At that time it simply looked like a piece of paper tucked inside of his birthday card. But that piece of paper had a deeper meaning for me as I watched a huge smile slowly develop on his face as he realized what this paper gift actually was. There was a lump in my throat as I observed a family tradition passed on to yet another child. This tradition has, at one time or another, been passed directly on to his mom and to his uncle and his family, by his grandfather and to some extent me (his grandmother), from his great grands and beyond. This family is and always has been a hunting family.

Last week marked the beginning of the Maine bird hunting, turkey, and archery hunting season. Family photographs from the past 24 hours included a photo of our son and a deer he shot with his bow. He really is an accomplished and skilled bow hunter. There is also pictured here a photo of my granddaughter Brook proudly holding the two turkeys she shot. Additionally, I've enjoyed looking at photos of John Sr., his friends, and the pheasant shot yesterday over several Brittanys (ours and theirs). Other friends of ours also shared pictures of their days afield with their dogs, each one putting a smile on my face.

But the photograph taken this afternoon of Cal  truly is the motivation behind this outpouring of words that I so hope to somehow convey what I am feeling in my heart!. The picture is blurry but that doesn't matter. Just look at those eyes! Cal is standing there with the biggest smile on his face ever, wearing his brand new hunting clothes, pictured proudly with his Brittany dog "Boomer." I see such hope, expectation, and anticipation emanating from his sparkling eyes. The picture has overwhelmingly touched the depths of my heart. The next generation, standing on the threshold of what I truly hope will be a positive, encouraging, and rewarding journey.

In addition to being a hunting family we have also been for a very long time, a family that loves Brittany dogs. (See http://www.mainebrittanysitejas.com) At some time or other all of our grandchildren have helped us out in our breeding program whether coming over to interact with young puppies, helping learn about bird planting for training purposes, participating in field trials, or any number of ways. (To be fair which is one thing a mom always tries to be in sharing about her children, our son and his family have a beautiful Great Dane named Stormy who they share their life with, a breed I'm not familiar with but she is lovely and much loved! Moms and gramies should never show favoritism and I do my best to let my children and grandchildren know just how much I love each of them for the precious jewel they are in my life.)

Last but never least, this is also a family who has experienced the reality of a loving God time and time again throughout our lives. For me personally, He's been so faithful since 1973 when I made a deliberate and conscious decision to ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart. I had an encounter with Him that changed my life from that point on. Today I saw the evidence of God's faithfulness to generation to generation yet again as I listened to our son share a life changing message for all those with ears to hear as pastor of the Maine Life Gate Church in Limerick, Maine. Ears by the way that include my own.

Ever learning, ever maturing, developing confidence and patience there is one thing that unites and binds these generations together. From the faithfulness of hunting instincts bred into several generations of Brittany dogs to the faithfulness of family passing the tradition of hunting to the next generations, one thing has remained. One thing will always remain. And that is the faithfulness of God from one generation to the next. For those who have experienced it, there is no denying it's reality in Christ Jesus. For those who have not known it, all one must do is simply Believe in Him. We are living in days of great turmoil, confusion, uncertainty and yes, evil such as your generation and mine have never known before. Yet this one thing still remains, and that is Gods love. It never fails and it never gives up on us. "For His faithfulness extends from one generation to another. Psalm 119:89-90 "Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures."

As always thank you for your interest in All Things Brittanys. Take care and God bless,
John, Ann and our canine crew

PS We anticipate confirming a planned breeding soon!!!