This week, Willie and I went to see a member of our congregation who had to have unexpected surgery. We decided that she needed some flowers to help her feel better and even better, Willie decided not to dig the soil out of the planter or eat the flowers! (This was a pretty hard choice for him.)
It is interesting to see how much the familiarity of a dog who wants to say hey and be petted can calm a family who had to readjust all their plans for the week. There’s something stable and predictable about a dog with his tongue hanging out making circles around his human. It makes you take a deep breath and think that things might just return to normal soon.
That’s why Willie and I do what we do. There’s always someone, every week, who needs to know they are loved and who needs someone else to see that, whether that being is four-legged or two-legged.