Appa has an underground fence. He can run within a foot or two of the edge, but any further and he gets zapped.

Side Note: This is one of the real advantages to raising a dog over children. In addition to the fence collar, we have a remote that will beep or vibrate or shock.. more than once I have thought, if the kids had a… 😉

Appa learned the fence quickly. We can even let him outside without the collar and he never tests the boundary. It is great.

But what I didn’t expect is that the rabbits also know the boundary. They boldly go to chomp our garden, until we release Appa. They are quick to race away, but stop just after the line. Appa goes berserk barking. His hair standing on his back, while the evil hare sits smirking!

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I used to sit awake at night worrying over my problems. Wrestling over upcoming events or recent mistakes. But now I find myself wide awake over my kid’s struggles. I could not control my own problems, these are even further out of reach. All I can do is bark…

You are right to think I should let it go. And this is not all the time, but worrying over kids will remain a part of life. So I have tried to stop struggling to get back to sleep — which only ramps my anxiety. Instead I pray and read scripture. Last night I finished a delightful sermon. Plus everyone knows a sermon is a quick way to fall asleep!

Admittedly, I have to review everything in the morning. Midnight jokes are generally terrible, no matter how much I giggled. But sometimes I stumble into a wonderful truth. On Sunday I will build on the connection between Mariam and Mary’s name, to their life. They both watched over the one who would set the people free. (Consider joining our worship!)