The Lord will not leave you or forsake you." ~ Deuteronomy
31:8
As constant as the crashing waves
against a rocky shore, so the emptiness in her heart lurked. Jan prepared a cup of tea, wondering how
she’d get through another gloomy day, when Randy’s picture toppled from the
mantle. Again!
Ever since her husband died two
years earlier, that pewter-framed photo of them atop Pike’s Peak kept
falling. Perhaps it was just the wishful
thinking of a lonely widow, but she still felt his presence in this place?
Jan picked up the frame and placed it back where it
belonged. “If only he were still here,”
she wished, needing him now more than ever.
These had been the saddest two years of her life; not how they’d
pictured their golden years.
After Randy retired from the Navy, they bought a small Tennessee
farmhouse on 65 acres. A country boy who
loved both biscuits with gravy and Hank Williams, he couldn’t wait to fulfill a
lifelong dream of raising and training hunting dogs. Her idea of a pet was more compact – nothing
specific, just a teddy-bear canine, one small enough to fit in the arms of a
child.
But some months after they’d moved in, Randy shared awful
news: “Doc says I need a transplant.” Like
many soldiers who’d served in Vietnam, Randy’s exposure to Agent Orange had destroyed
his liver. They waited eight months for
a donor match.
A successful transplant would be short-lived when a blood
clot ended his life two weeks later.
Their farmhouse, which had once been so lively and filled
with dreams, now sat eerily quiet. No
one to greet her when she came home from work; no one to sit with on the front
porch.
Jan stared out the window at rain falling heavier now. She was about to head back to the kitchen
when she noticed something small and furry scampering towards the house.
Grabbing her raincoat, Jan dashed outside. The animal darted back into the woods. She calmly knelt … and waited. Soon the little dog came closer to her
outstretched hand and, after a few sniffs, offered a lick. "Kisses ... why ... thank you!"
It was love at first sight for the adorable little
tail-wagger. What was he doing here? More importantly, how had he survived in
woods full of coyotes?
She carried him inside and dried him off. He made himself at home, curling right up on
her lap.
She asked around town and posted his photo online. Nobody
responded; no one came looking for him. He was hers to keep. She swore he cracked a puppy-smile when she
played Hank Williams, so you probably guessed what she named him.
He never left her side.
Just as devoted as the One who’d
sent him.
Dear
God, sometimes life gets me down; I find it hard to see things to be thankful
for. Open my eyes to see the gifts You’ve
blessed me with. And thank You for
bringing hope even through the toughest of times. Amen
