God has a sense of humor

Tuesday, I sent out an e-mail about my cancer to some people I haven't had contact with in awhile. One of them was a former co-worker at the paper who lives in a nearby town and works for a different paper.

She called about 8:30 a.m. yesterday to let me know she was sorry this had happened and would be thinking of me. She asked if she could say a prayer for me. I'm not real religious, but I'm certainly not going to turn away any help from upstairs I can get it, so I said sure. She started saying the prayer over the phone, but shortly after her puppy, a beagle, started barking. If you aren't familiar with beagles, they just don't bark, they bay. So here' s my friend talking to God for me and in the background is this BOOOWWWWOOOOWW! OWWWWWOOOW BOOOOOW! BOWWW! I was trying hard not to laugh, and I think she might have been too. She finished the prayer and said she'd call me right back.

I think UPS or someone had come to her door, because when she called back it sounded like she was opening a package and she said she'd had to order a new keyboard and mouse because of pain she'd having in her arms. The dog was now silent.

I certainly appreciate her wanting to do that for me, but somehow I can't help but think the timing turned out to be a big practical joke orchestrated from somewhere above.