Some of you that follow our personal pages know that my family has been dealing with the death of our dog. He was 13 years old, and he was our first child. We had him before the arrival of both of our children, so they do not know a life without him. It’s been an adjustment for all of us, particularly me and my daughter.
I’ve written about Duke before. They say that dogs pick out someone in the family to be “theirs”, and that was me. He was my constant companion. When the kids were little and we would play hide and seek, he would give away my location every time. He would just be waiting in the hallway, or on the other side of the door, or somewhere near my hiding spot. He protected my kids- even if he thought he had to protect them from the rough housing with their dad. He made it very known that he did not like this reckless behavior. He cleaned my floor, my kids, checked my counters and table for scraps. Most of the time, the food was gone before it even hit the floor. He never knew a stranger and when we would meet new people, he would bring them his toy to invite them in to play. If we were standing around talking, he would just come and sit on my feet as if to publicly make his claim on me.
I miss him in the most random moments. There is no one waiting for me at the back door when I come home. There is no one to accompany me when I go back and forth to unload the groceries from the car. I went out to the front yard yesterday and turned around, fully expecting him to be there.
He had been sick for several months, and when we got the news that his diagnosis was terminal, I began praying. I prayed for his healing, but I also prayed that God would cover and protect us during the transition that was coming. We were (are) sad, and I realized why I was so sad. (Controversial statement coming in 3…2…1…) He was my tangible expression of God’s love for His children.
He was always joyful, patient with us, a gentle protector. I would close the door every night and he would be waiting there, every morning, for me to open the door and greet him. How many times have I closed the door and God, and yet, He is always there when I am ready to come back? I never had to look to find God’s presence in my life- it was always right in front of me. 10 years ago, he went missing, and prayer is what brought him back to us. He gave me faith to pray for the ridiculous. There are so many things that I miss about Duke, but this is what I miss the most- I have needed that faith so many times in the last few months.
There is a saying among dog lovers- Be the kind of person your dog thinks you are. As inspiring as this is, I want to challenge all of us to be the kind of person that God thinks you are.
“Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.” (Phil 4:8, The Living Bible)
