Tuesday, March 9, 2010

SHIRLEY



During lunch
with a new-found friend,
Her pets swirling around our feet,
She kept commanding, "Shirley,
stay down!" or "Shirley, off the chair!"

And I wondered, and pondered,
and thought --
but didn't ask --
"Why would anyone name a dog 'Shirley' ?"
[I wasn't even sure whether it was male or female --
must I confess such ignorance?]
But still -- Shirley?!

As I was leaving,
settling into my car,
She suddenly said,
"I bet you've been wondering
why I call my dog Shirley.
It reminds me that 'Surely goodness and mercy will follow me'."
And she trailed into a laugh .. which I joined.
[a most pleasant way to say goodbye].

Now forever,
with the image of a middle-sized,
black and white,
shaggy dog
Superimposed --

Psalm 23, Verse 6 will never be the same.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a cute story. One that will 'surely' stick with me now as well. Thank you for sharing it!

Jeanne Frances Klaver said...

Ah...you bring new meaning to the human language. I love this!

JoAnne said...

In high school, my best friend's sister's name was Shirley. Haven't met anyone with that name since. I love how a middle-sized,black and white,shaggy dog can be a sweet reminder of 'Surely goodness and mercy will follow me'." Bible verse. Thanks for sharing; nice meeting you :).