She was sitting to my left at the banquet table, an older woman who sat stiffly, obviously frail and in pain. The conversation swirled around her - vacations, hobbies, grandchildren - as she ate in silence, politely smiling. Finally I turned to her and introduced myself, and we began to chat. "Do you have family around here?" I asked casually.
A look of sorrow crossed her face, faint but unmistakable. Then she reached into her purse and pulled a battered photo out of her wallet. She passed it to me. "This is Max," she said quietly, her words slow and her breathing a bit labored. "He is my family."
In the picture a yellow lab lolls on a sofa. Just a dog, like a million other pictures of dogs people show you. She touched the picture gently. "He saves my life every day."
How much was said in those few words.
This was a woman who lived with pain as a constant companion. She had no friends left, no family. But I could picture her, on that couch, her arm around Max, his trusting face lifted to hers. His need gives her a reason to get up every morning; his love reassures her that she still matters, even in her frailty, his antics cheer her, his own age gives her a companion in pain.
I handed her back the photograph. "He's beautiful," I said.
Just think of all the millions of dogs in our world, and the gifts they bring into our lives. Rescue dogs searching in rubble for survivors, guard dogs patrolling the night, working dogs running full-tilt to herd sheep, service dogs guiding their humans through darkness.
And the everyday dogs like mine, and perhaps yours, lolling on sofas, fetching toys, twitching in their sleep, trotting along by our sides, tails wagging. Giving us the simple comfort of their company just by being part of our families, waking us with their cold noses in the morning and greeting us at the end of a long day,
Dogs can draw out the best in us, and give to us in a hundred ways. They challenge us to be worthy of their trust and unquestioning loyalty, They nose their way past our defenses and into our hearts. They nestle close when we're hurting, and ease our pain on the hardest of days.
To me, to abuse and neglect one of these innocents is an outrage, a crime against one of God's beloved children. To have a dog is a huge responsibility. To be loved by a dog is a great blessing.
I wonder if God gave us dogs because He knew how much we needed them.
I can just picture that moment: Adam and Eve, shivering in the wilderness, crouched close to the first fire, God watching them from a distance. My poor children, He says. They shouldn't have to make their way alone. They need a someone to guard them and comfort them.
Let there be dogs, He says, and in that moment Adam sees two eyes in the darkness. Eve stands and calls, and the first Dog creeps forward and licks her hand, wagging his tail.
Let there be dogs.
In these days of crisis, I think many of us are finding that our dogs are more precious than ever. They don't care about the news, and they don't look much further into the future than the next bowl of food. They just trust us to be there, and when we want to give up, they give us a reason to get up and keep going one more day.
Lately I've been thinking about that woman I met at that banquet, a few months and an eternity ago. I hope she's OK. I picture her, looking out some lonely window.
I hope, wherever she is, that Max is sitting by her side.
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