The Gift of A True Companion

Baxley is our 11 year old black lab and beagle mix. We got him out of an add in paper when we first arrived in Wilmington  NC.  I remember getting no sleep the weekend we brought him home and also that being the weekend of Easter with a "sunrise" service.  We lived in the youth building at the time so he was used to seeing crowds of kids.  We were blessed in many ways during our time in Wilmington and Baxley was certainly one of those.

In the process of moving we have had to find another vet. We met his new one last week and he restated what I already knew. With Bax being a senior dog his eyesight is going. He has cloudy eyes but still seems to be seeing fairly well, by this I mean not bumping into things. When I look at him it brings me to tears to thinks about the times Donna and I have shared with him. He has made me laugh, encouraged me to play when I did not feel like it and simply lay beside me as I have cried. I know a lot of people will say he is just a dog but to Donna and I he is so much more.

Nothing can take the place of, or be as special as having children. Donna and I came to terms long ago with the fact that children of our own were not in the cards for us. We knew we were free to love the teens and families God places in our lives through our ministry even more. Along the way, God gave us a precious companion to journey with us. Luckily, he is still with us and I pray that we have many more years together. I am not sure why I posted this but I guess it is because many "professionals" say that social media should show the whole of a person, not just what they want people to "think" they are.  God has showed me a lot through this little dog. Dependence, unconditional love and the excitement of seeing someone you love.  Maybe we would all do well to show the same to others.

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