Don’t Eat Unidentified Stuff Off the Floor – Conversations with Stella

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Lady Human is acting weird which is not weird but is still bothersome. Lady Human, why are you staring at the ground?

Me:        I’m looking for something.

Stella:    A treat? Let me help you.

Me:        No, not a treat.

Stella:    Can’t be worth much then.

Me:        It’s not.

Stella:    Then why are you looking for it? What is it that is so important?

Me:        It’s a cheap little earring. It fell out and I don’t know where.

Stella:    That’s what you get for wearing things in your ears.

Me:        I need to find it before one of you finds it and eats it.

Stella:    Why would we eat one of your ear thingies? Does it taste good?

Me:        No, but the way y’all gobble whatever you locate on the ground, I can’t take the chance of you coming across it before I do. I’ve looked everywhere.

Stella:    Ask the Great Creator where it is. He knows everything.

Me:        Good idea. I just don’t want anyone to chew on it or swallow it and get hurt. Help us, LORD.

Stella:    Look over here.

Me:        I already did, about ten times.

Stella:    Look again at this little thing that is not food, is not a treat, and looks like one of the bizarre dangly things that you wear in your ears.

Me:        That’s it! Praise the LORD! No more worry about a bulldog swallowing it. But I looked over here.

Stella:    You know what I think?

Me:        What?

Stella:    I think the Great Creator heard your prayer.

Me:        Amen.

Stella:    You know what else I think?

Me:        What?

Stella:    I think the Great Creator wouldn’t mind at all if you rewarded your faithful bulldog with a real treat for not eating an earring off the floor.

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

The Wild, Weird Sky – Conversations with Stella

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges, and… hurry, hurry, hurry, Lady Human! Let me in! Weirdness is going on!

Me:        Wait. What? What’s that noise? It sounds like a bunch of dry leaves falling, but there are only a few…it’s sleet! SLEET! It’s sleeting in October! Yee-hah!

Stella:    Ice? The sky is spitting ice at me?

Me:        Well, technically, at all of us…around here anyway. This is so funny. It’s sleeting in October. It was 85 degrees two days ago. And it’s Tall Man’s birthday! Wild!

Stella:    Tall Man’s birthday? Why didn’t you say so?

Me:        He doesn’t expect you all to do anything for his birthday. Except if you can learn to sing ‘Happy Birthday’. Bulldogs singing ‘Happy Birthday’. That would be cool.

Stella:    No. No. You can forget that. Nobody tells me what to sing or when to sing it. But I think it is wonderful that the Great Creator is sending him a slushy on his birthday.

Me:        This is cool, but there’s not enough ice falling right here to make a slushy drink. And what’s falling is melting as it hits the ground. So…

Stella:    So, if enough sleet falls, everyone gets a slushy drink?

Me:        I’ve never seen that, but if a lot falls, cars look like they’re wearing overcoats made of ice.

Stella:    Freaky.

Me:        Yeah.

Stella:    But you would never leave me outside in icy weather until I had an ice overcoat, right?

Me:        Right.

Stella:    Or the others either? I act as though I don’t care about them, but really…I do.

Me:        Right. I thank the LORD every day for His mercies and for giving all of us shelter from every storm.

Stella:    Amen.

Me:        And for food.

Stella:    Amen. Big AMEN!

Me:        And for clean water.

Stella:    Amen.

Me:        And for air to breathe.

Stella:    Amen.

Me:        When did you start saying ‘Amen’ to my prayers?

Stella:    I have for a long time now, Lady Human. Didn’t you tell me that the Book He gave you all says, ‘All creation groans…’? We always hope the best for humans. It means so much to us.

Me:        Amen.

 

 

 

Copyright 2017 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

When You Don’t Know What to Say, Pray – Conversations with Stella

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Stella. I am an Olde English Bulldogge. In fact, I am their queen. For those who don’t know me, that was my introduction.  My question today is

The humans are sad. Why?

Me:        Something terrible took place last night not many miles from where we are.

Stella:    I don’t understand.  How far is “miles”? Did it happen in our backyard?

Me:        No, but it feels as though it did.

Stella:    Did it happen to us?

Me:        As hard as this may be for you to comprehend, it happened to all of us.

Stella:    I don’t feel different. And when I woke up this morning, I counted and all of us were here, bulldogs and humans. Even the cat.

Me:        Not every family can say that.

Stella:    Tell me the truth. Did some bulldogs get loose and run wild?

Me:        No, nothing like that.

Stella:    So it is not our fault?

Me:        No.

Stella:    That is a relief. I always feel guilty when dogs cause a problem. I want to stop problems, not cause them.

Me:        Me, too.

Stella:    Was it a storm? Because those can cause problems and I don’t know how to stop them either.

Me:        It was like a storm, but humans caused it.

Stella:    But humans don’t like storms! Why would humans cause one?

Me:        Hatred. Confusion. Mistrust. Do you remember when Tiger came to us and why?

Stella:    Yes, a dog attacked Tiger and hurt her so badly that she almost crossed over. Was what happened last night like that, but it was not done by dogs, but by humans?

Me:        Yes.

Stella:    But humans are supposed to have more understanding than we do. Humans are supposed to know better.

Me:        We don’t apparently. Not by a long shot.

Stella:    But the Great Creator put humans in charge and we are all subject to you. Stop the human-made storms! What are you going to do?

Me:        Pray. And keep praying. Never stop. Even if things look all right. Ask the LORD and obey what He says. And never give up. Never. Never. Never.

Stella:    What can I do?

Me:        Be yourself, Stella. That’s what God created you to do.

Stella:    How can that help?

Me:        We need to smile again. And laugh. That’s another part of this life that God has given us. And that, Stella, is where you come in.

“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”  (James 3:3 KJV)

 

Copyright 2016 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.