Everything I Need to Know I'm Learning From My Dog

He stands there in front of our slider wearing an intent fixed gaze looking past the crepe myrtles and tropical lollypop tree, with only one thing on his mind - SQUIRREL!  Not once does he hesitate and reflect back to the many, many, many times before that he's shot out of the door towards that squirrel, like an unstoppable racehorse out of the gate, and not even come close to catching it.

No, just like every other time, his chocolate brown eyes are focused and his mind is set.

One quick glance at his furry little determined face is all that it takes to know exactly what he's thinking, "Just as soon as somebody opens this sliding door for me, I imagine him saying to himself if he could talk, I'm going to get that squirrel!"

I can't begin to tell you how much pleasure Bear-bear, our dog, has brought to our family.  Like most four-leggers of the dog species, he's incredibly happy all of the time, and he loves us, without question.

He's always ready to play whenever the whim happens to cross anybodies mind and he's more than happy to shake hands with everyone he meets.  You can easily envision his entire being transporting to a heavenly place at the mere mention of a bite of chicken and when he hears the 'wuh' sound at the beginning of the word, walk, you would swear that somebody just told him he'd won the chicken treat lotto or something.

There is pure joy to be found by Bear-bear in even the slightest hint of something good.

Oh, to be more like Bear-bear.

Dear God,

How complicated I tend to make even the simplest of things... when will I ever learn to look at life a bit more like Bear-bear, with eyes that see the possibility of something wonderful in every opportunity?

I realize that my brain is not wired in black and white so much as Bear-bears, but I'm convinced inside this head of mine filled with ever thinking gray matter, that you never intended for my thoughts to be filled with so many, uncertain and questionable, gray areas.  I think I need to learn to appreciate more of life for what it is and live in the moment instead of analyzing every detail and weighing every probable outcome before taking a step.

At the mention of the word 'beach', God, help me to begin looking for my flip-flops instead of ruling it out because it takes thirty-five minutes on Route 44 to get there.  When my sweet Sydney is at the computer and yells, "Mom, come look!", help me to put down whatever, not all that important, thing that I'm working on and share a moment with my precious and intricately wired, baby girl.  Each day as Mike is all sleepy headed and loving when I wake him up for his last semester of high school, let me stop my multitasking mind and sit myself down on the edge of his bead and savor  a second or two of my sweet disposition son who has greeted me with a welcoming heart  and open arms practically every morning of his entire wonderful life.

When my dear husband, who has walked down every road you could ever imagine with me, stands behind me and wraps his arms snuggly around my waist to say goodbye before leaving for work, let me drop the breakfast dishes gently into the sink, dry my hands and hug him back, fiercely, with complete abandon that lets him know for certain that I love him with all of my heart and I am so thankful that you decided to make him my guy.


As for you, God, I want to sense even the slightest nudge against my heart, whenever you are trying to get my attention towards something or someone that is important to you.  I want you to know that I am a ready, willing and able child of yours who wants to live my life to the fullest, which I believe means that I must be completely open to your spirit and constantly aware of you.