There are few things in life more precious than seeing a boy who truly loves his dog. This past week my mom and sister and I were witness to the greatest love I have seen for awhile of that. We were sitting on a bench by Lake Erie when this young man, probably about 10 0r so, came down with his dog. To get to the water you have to climb the jagged rocks and they picked their way to the water slowly. He was trying to coax her into the water and she was a bit timid about it. Then he made the ultimate mistake. He took off her leash. That gave her license to run. And run she did. She clambered up the rocks with the boy in pursuit. It was a hot day—90 degrees plus and this dog acted like it was just the coolest day you could imagine by the way she bounded around. She was called and ignored the call. She bounded here and there, came close to her boy and then ran away just when he reached for her. She explored the putt putt course much to his dismay. She came close to me and I tried to grab her but she was as elusive as a the Holy Grail.
She took off down the path and ran hither and yon with her young owner in hot—literally and figuratively—pursuit. We worried. We wondered if he would catch her. Ten minutes or so passed and here came one sweaty boy with dog on a leash!!!! We cheered for him!!! And then he did what made him the best owner in the world. He carefully picked his way back down the rocky shore with her in tow and encouraged her to get into the water. When she did he gently scooped water in his hands and showered her with it. It was a moment of love at its finest. He was not one bit upset with her for running off and not obeying. All he could think of was her comfort and her well being. It was incredibly hot and he wanted her to be cool and comfortable.
There is a lesson there, folks. Not just for the four legged animal kingdom but for the two legged one. A little bit more love and compassion is a good thing. Not closing our eyes to the people around us who may need a little bit more love and attention than we realized. So for today let’s open our eyes and try to find the places where we can offer some cool soothing water to someone—in whatever form it may be. Blessings.
