I need to be packing; I have so much to do. Yet here I am snuggling my dog and looking at old puppy pictures.
When we brought him home, he fit in a cereal bowl. Mostly fur, he barely weighed one and a quarter pounds.
Now, he is a year old and a whopping 6 pounds!
Until last summer, I did not understand how deeply a person can love an animal. But, now I have a dog. I love our puppy, and Bern loves me! Always at my heels, he is wonderful company. When I sit down, he's either in my lap or right at my feet. He knows when I am up-set and snuggles right up trying to comfort me. He licks away my children's tears and rubs his furry head on their cheeks.
Still a bundle of energy, he is eager to play. He will bring his ball over and drop it at my feet, prance about to say, “Throw it! Throw it!” He knows to sit, stay, come... what a genius dog! He does not beg for food; yet, he cleans up all the crumbs under the table that the kids drop. What a helpful little fella!
Except for my infants who wiggled and giggled with delight when they heard my voice in the mornings, no one has ever seemed as happy to see me! Running circles around my feet when I get out of bed or come home, he can hardly contain his joy.
I can't help but cry a little whenever I have to leave him for a few days. I love this tiny one. I hate to think that I could have lived my entire life with out a dog, but oh, what I would have missed!
They need to be walked, brushed, bathed, fed. They get sick and need vet appointments. They demand attention and love, but the rewards are infinite!
(And, children are a million times the blessing!
More work,
but more fun,
more entertaining,
more loving!)
My life is richer and my character deeper because of the little "extras" in my life!
