December Blues

December didn't start out very well for one member of our household. Chauncy, our beloved pet Lab/Springer mix dog was hit by a car. He's going to be okay ---but it was a nervous night for us filled with lots of tears and lots of prayers. He's going to take some time to heal. And then there's the issue of the masses that showed up on his chest x-ray which are unrelated to the car accident. (We'll deal with those in a week or so after most of his bruising heals and the vet is able to examine him better.) That has me worried. Chauncy still has a lot of life left in him --and I'm not willing to accept that he may have something that would cut that life short. It never ceases to amaze me how a pet can grab hold of your heart. They are truly like members of your family --like your children. And their love is unconditional. No matter what mood I'm in --or if I neglect Chauncy because I get busy with something else --or if I forget to give him fresh water....or no matter that I've committed one of countless other "sins" toward him in his nine years of sharing his life with me --He still loves me - unconditionally. People don't do that. We have baggage. We hold grudges. We live with unforgiveness in our hearts. We criticize. We think we're better than the next person. We put conditions on our love. You know what? We all need to be more like our dogs.