“Don’t look back,
lengthen your stride, and press toward the goal." ~ Philippians
3:13-14
Erik hadn’t slept well in weeks. He awoke nearly two hours earlier than normal;
unable to fall back to sleep. Once
awake, he couldn’t quite get his mind to quiet down. It felt like his eyes leaking open cued his
brain into overdrive. He couldn’t seem
to find a way to break the cycle.
He’d never heard of anyone dying from insomnia, but feeling
exhausted, stressed, snappy, and permanently on the verge of collapse was
unhealthy enough. His eyes fixated on
the glowing alarm clock numbers taunting him until he finally surrendered and
rose from bed.
Tiptoeing into the family room, he switched on the TV. A 24-hour news program retched its usual venom
of hatred, rancor, prejudice, and division. Erik turned it off and put on some music
instead. Then he picked up a book and read
until his eyelids grew heavy. Closing
his eyes and placing the book on his chest, he dozed mercifully, if only for a
few moments until dawn’s light.
Suddenly, Erik felt something stirring him from slumberland.
Its warm breath caressed his face with
the sedative qualities of a lullaby. His
eyes slowly opened to a long, sleek face covered in caramel and cream-colored
fur. Luxurious, brown eyes stared directly
into his; making herself at home in Erik’s heart.
A smile crept onto Erik’ face. This little gal had been his companion in
quiet moments and the hilarity that dogs bring.
“Hello Bella,” he said warmly. The pooch covered Erik’s face in kisses while
her curly tail wagged, cheerily against the couch. "Oh," she seemed to say, "are
you feeling overwhelmed Dad?" in a low rumble as happy as a kid in a
chocolate factory. "Kisses ... why ...
thank you!"
Erik patted her head, scratched her belly, and laughed as Bella
showered him with affection. He soaked
it all in and thought to himself: “If only we humans could love each other as
purely and unconditionally as our dogs love us, what a wonderful world this
would be.”
With a stretch and a yawn Bella snuggled right into him and
fell fast asleep. Erik felt a little sparkle of joy before falling asleep too; body
and brain relaxed, safe, and content to have solved enough of its problems to earn
sleep.
Dogs are blessings from God.
We should spend our days creating happiness and making this world a
better place. We should see everyone no matter how they look
or what they believe as our brothers and sisters. We should love ourselves and everyone else as
God loves us. And we should say each
day, “Thank you dear God for dogs.”
