Chapter 23 – Where Are We?

God Directs Our Steps

Proverbs 16:9

“A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

Isaiah 26:4

“Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:”

I noticed the air was cool but not cold. It had an autumn woodsy freshness to it as Kaiyah hopped out on leash. She rushed into the house looking rather out of sorts and totally relieved to be out of the SUV, and with her paws back on solid ground. As we welcomed her into our new home she seemed quite eager to find her way to her new backyard which we were more than happy to oblige. As I opened the door, after Peter made sure the gates were securely closed, she burst out the door in one lovely leap and speedily took a potty break. Once that was done she set out exploring every nook and cranny of her new territory. We observed her for a moment, took a brief look about and then went to bring in the boys.

We set Gideon and Pumpkin loose to roam about at their own pace while getting things set up ensuring food and water were ready to go, and the all important kitty box. Kaiyah had a pleasant introduction to the out (of) doors and had come back in cautiously but excited. It didn’t take very long for her to find the water bowl. She lapped up every bit before setting out to find a place to lay herself down. She saw Pumpkin standing nearby trying to get his bearings and gave him a pleasant nose greeting. They were happy to see each other! Gideon was still hiding and was considering his kennel exit... Kaiyah looked unsure of herself so I was more than happy to point out her bed which we had temporarily placed close to the living room alongside the wall. She plopped down and was off to sleep in no time.

It was evident that this was a whole lot of change for all of us. I prayed for quietness and strength of heart for our little family and for His Guidance as we slowly acclimated to our new life and home. It was a big transition and a lot was going to need unpacking and to be gone through. And that didn’t include all the tangible items we had sitting out in the moving truck.

After a bumpy night’s sleep camping out on the floor with our furbabies and the unloading of our moving truck, Peter and I set out on our own little exploration the following day. We took note of the nice meadows strewn between the buildings and residential areas, the river that flowed along and in between the cities and towns, the open land all around our little city, and the little mountains and foothills easily seen with a touch of snow already. It was lovely. We grabbed some essential groceries and headed back.

Kaiyah, Pumpkin and Gideon were quietly waiting and seemed relieved when they saw and heard us. The official Pumpkin roll was delivered, the large meow from Gideon was heard, and Kaiyah was quietly standing with a look that said, “Where were you and where are we?” I gave a lot of assuring words and pets as Peter and I started to get our minds around the tasks ahead. We knew it would take time.

We had to stay in boxes for quite a while as we had no furniture and we had decided to get the home totally repainted inside. It left us even more out of sorts as we had limited access to many things and nothing was getting settled in at all. But thankfully we were together in our beautiful home and we knew God has a purpose and plan for everything and yep, He is Faithful. Peter and I sought Him and continued to do so all along the way and we weren’t about to stop. The Lord would Direct our steps and Give us the strength we needed, and we wanted it for sure. We encouraged one another to keep trusting Him.

The temperatures plummeted and in came the brooding winter storms. Kaiyah showed brand new liveliness in the crispness and chill of the air. Something about her new joyful outburst inspired me to call her jovial energetic expression “friskity”. And boy was she ever friskity! Running about high on paws, tail curlie and ears pointed straight up with her eyes smiling, full steam ahead and then with a soft bounce she would stop only to repeat until she was done. It reminded me of a happy prancing horse that would suddenly burst into a full gallop and then abruptly stop with a tad bit of a bounce forward at the end. It was adorable and set me into a full laugh! The kitties would have to clear the area or stand totally still when she went into friskity mode and so would we.

Before we knew what hit us a huge snowstorm, one of the biggest on record, blew in overnight and continued over a few days which left several feet of snow in total. The house was hushed from the depth of it and the inside temperature actually felt warmer and close. It was dramatic to behold especially for Peter and for our pets. Even I was taken aback by the unexpected amount of snow. It had been decades since I had been in such a storm and we didn’t have the tools on hand to address it. Thankfully we had what we needed and we didn’t have to drive anywhere, but I will admit: I was a bit stressed and concerned. I know what big snow like that can do to a home. I had endured all the consequences of the storms of life that had passed the last several years, which left me wondering where I was and what on earth was the Lord doing with us. It was quite a moment for me. I was absolutely out of sorts and deeply under the weight of it all. I needed to trust the Lord pure and simple.

Kaiyah stood at the sliding door to the backyard with big eyes. Peter had big eyes too; it was his first big snow as well. She looked like she was at a loss as to what to do with all that white stuff piled all over the place. Nothing was discernible on the ground save the trees and parts of the wooden fence around the property. It was a winter wonderland. My parents would have adored it. They would have excitedly put together a big wood fire, start a huge pot of hot cocoa and get a big pot stew or soup cooking. Nothing made them more cozy and giddy than a big winter snow storm...

The raw emotions of grief surged in the midst of that quiet overwhelming heavy storm that left us tucked in our new home. I felt lost. They were sleeping in Jesus and I couldn’t share those moments with them anymore. Bittersweet memories blew in and then quickly melted away. I worked to focus on my sweetheart Peter and our precious little pets. We were all adjusting to the new course and trying to find our way through the storms.

When Kaiyah saw me come closer, as she stood there staring out, she did her little toe tap asking if she could go out and play. When I opened the door I said, “Mush Kaiyah mush, get friskity!” She flew out in one huge leap and landed in the snow which was all the way up to her mid chest. She looked overwhelmed at first and then it was like her Heavenly Creator Designed snow plow genes kicked in with maximum strength torque. She began to push forward with her chest and would pop up plunging forward. She began the most beautiful husky bounding I had ever seen. Plowing with her chest and popping up on her back legs a bit and then lunging forward only to repeat until she wanted to change direction or return back on where she had just plowed. She was having a total blast and went into friskity overdrive to boot!

It was totally amazing to watch her overcome that height and weight to move that snow all the while finding new places to repeat out of sheer joy. She used her all-paw drive mode to get some serious traction going, and in that momentum just kept bounding and bounding. When she had a clearing made she would friskity run in circles and stop with front legs forward and her belly down in the snow with muzzle facing to the side a little and the rest of her body looking like she was laying down only to pop up into a full friskity run again and then she hop-bounded to the door when she was ready to come in… which took a while. Kaiyah Takota was a natural, naturally!  

As she came back in the house she went into full friskity mode again, thankfully there wasn’t any furniture to run into so she had a clear runway. She left Gideon and Pumpkin in awe with her wide open circles and explosion of husky energy. When she settled down a bit I toweled her down and Peter and I had a good laugh and shared our congratulations. She graduated from husky snow school with honors in just one day! We were mighty proud of our husky...

Pumpkin and Gideon were happy to observe the snow from the inside warm and cozy. They had zero interest in doing any such antics and found themselves a view to their liking and that was just fine.

That evening we all were a bit tuckered. I was internally raw but thankful to the Lord. It was good to have seen Peter and our critters experience their first big snow and for some new joys to have come out of that storm… And to have one certified friskity snow bounding husky in our midst.

…Until we meet again…