I have ten CHILDREN, five of whom are people and five of whom are "just" dogs.
The dogs have never stolen from me. The dogs have never lied to me. The dogs have never asked me to bail them out from jail. The dogs have never assaulted me. The dogs have never tried to pit me against their mother in order to get their way. The dogs have never broken something dear to me and then tried to blame it on a sibling. The dogs have never been too angry with me to want to be around me. Not once has one of the dogs let me down.
I love all of the human children, of course. My daughters are the revelation, to me, of God. My daughters are whom, on my worst days, I can think of and smile. And one of the stepsons shows me every day the true meaning of love and good. The human children are all special and all people who have positively touched my life.
But the dogs, though they are just dogs, just animals, just creatures of the moment, are also "just special". My daughters are, as I said, how God revealed Himself to me. The dogs, though, are gifts from that same God which are given anew each day.
Thanks, Susanne, for this beautiful reminder.
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