Monday Musings: My Buddy Edition

It was a life time ago.  I felt as if my life was crumbled and in pieces at my feet.  My new marriage was suffering major adjustment pangs, my 13 year old daughter seemed hell-bent on destroying her life, and I was employed in one of those positions where you know you surely must be paying dues for that good job to come.    I also worked a second job doing medical transcription from home 20 to 30 hours per week. 

My steady companion during this time was Legend, a black and white mixed mutt who was happy to see me even on my worst days.  He sat patiently at my feet until I could take a break from typing and toss him a ball or scratch behind his ears.  No matter what, he loved me.  Where I went, he followed.   I often told him he was the only one who never gave me any trouble.

One evening as Ole Boy was coming in from work, Legend slipped outside the front door.  I am not sure how he got out unnoticed, but by the time I realized he wasn’t in the house, it was too late.   He had been hit by a car, and he was gone.   I was devastated, and I grieved for that dog.   I thought he was my one constant, and he was gone.

I remember sobbing, asking my mom why God would have let this thing happen, knowing how much I needed my little Legend.   Of course, we don't have answers for such questions; if there were such answers, we’d understand why children die of cancer or other catastrophic diseases.   If we understood these things perhaps we could stop it from happening.   But I digress…though finding out why children die is immeasurably more important than my little buddy dying.

Not too long after losing Legend, I found out that the neighbor’s dog was having puppies…and the daddy-dog was none other than my Legend.  My neighbor promised me the pick of the litter.   I chose one that looked just like Legend, only he was brown and white instead of black and white, and I named him Titus.  Poor Titus never had the personality of his papa, and he had no intentions of being an inside dog.  He went to doggy heaven some years ago, too.

By God's grace, I hung in there.  My marriage survived and we are stronger than ever, my daughter is doing well, and I did get that good job.  God has been infinitely wonderful to me, and I am grateful.

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