Learning the Hard Way

Have you ever had God whisper in your ear and brushed off that still small voice? Did you kind of know deep inside it was Him but somehow told yourself it wasn't? Sometimes I think it would be easier if God spoke as a clanging symbol, and I'm sure He does once in a while, but more often He speaks softly.
I was so relieved to see Jasmine home and safe Sunday afternoon that I decided to give her a treat, a couple of venison bones. Being part pit bull or something, she does a pretty good job of chomping up what would take most dogs hours and had hers literally eaten up rather quickly. By Tuesday evening it became evident that Jazz was not feeling well. When she stood on her feet, she kept her back all curled up and moved with great difficulty. She had a pained look in her eyes and later would cry when we tried to move her.
Here my mind started to spin backward, back to that little thought that ran through my mind when I gave her the bone. "Maybe this isn't a good idea. That bone has some sharp spots. It could be bad for the dog." I brushed them off. "She's had bones before. Sometimes I don't even know where she got them. She'll be fine." And so I had given her the bone anyway. Now my dog was in pain and it was my fault. I didn't sleep very good that night.
Yesterday we took Jasmine to the vet. They did an x ray. The bad news: she does have a piece of bone in her small intestine and it definitely has been causing her pain. The good news: it looks small enough that she should be able to pass it in a couple of days. Dr. B said to keep her calm and make sure she is eating. As long as she eats, the bone fragment will keep moving along. The other good news: she is acting much better today.