Sit and Pray

I was not in a good mood today. My problems got ahead of me. Well, one particular problem got ahead of me.

And in this kind of days I'm thankful for my friends. For they are always there for me, saying the right words, reminding me of anything I've taken for granted, telling me that everything will turn out fine.

One thing did stick out though.
One of them told me to pray.

The words were so powerful that it got me silenced. I actually remembered the last time I prayed, really prayed. It was about a month ago. But the point is that I didn't pray as many as I should. All this time I've been counting on my strengths, trying to fight with all that is happening. I never got to pray and let it go. I never got to embrace it and thank God for it, how horrible it was.

So today, for the first time in a long time, I sit and pray.

Encounter in a Night, Ghastly

Most people who have a dog know that dogs have different voices for different situations. They don't just bark, they growl, howl, whine, and do other noises. They are all fine, except for one kind of noise which frightens me. It's the sound they make when somebody nearby dies. It's that part whining, part howling, with a bit of a crying sound.

I remember when my dog made that sound. I was on my mattress, trying to sleep when he started to do it (I sleep on the floor, right next to my living room). One of my neighbors had just died, so I figured that that had to be the cause. I didn't give it much attention because he was standing by the window, starring outside, while I was safe inside my house.
So I closed my eyes again until I realized I wasn't alone anymore. A warm presence was there beside me.
I opened my eyes. My dog was standing next to me, starring at my living room. He was breathing fast. And then he started to do the noise.
I could feel my heart beating. Whatever he saw was in my living room. For God knows what reason, I lied perfectly still, deliberately not moving any parts of my body. Perhaps I believed my action would fool that thing into thinking that I was asleep.
I couldn't remember how long I stayed awake. But in the end, I did fall asleep.

Now, sometimes I still hear my dog make that sound. But at least he always stares outside when he does it, which is of course a very welcomed feat.