I always have to carefully consider whether or not I really need to get up during the night. It isn’t so much a question of whether or not I should get up, but more of a question of the consequences of it. As you might have guessed, Leo sleeps right between me and Wendy. He snuggles right up to whomever he chooses and is usually a pretty good bedfellow. But, if you get up, all bets are off. He will steal your spot quicker than you can blink. You come back to find him curled up on your pillow fast asleep – or so he makes it seem. Getting him to move after that is challenging. Most of the time, I figure out a way to squirm my way back into the bed – and he usually wins on the amount of room and where he lays his head.
The funniest part is if you had told me this would be my situation years ago, I would have thought you had lost your mind. Why would anyone reorient their whole sleep pattern for a friend such as my dog Leo? I have always loved animals, that is not the issue. But to completely give up part of your pillow and your bed would have made no sense to me. Sometimes it still doesn’t. But it doesn’t have to be explained, it is a choice we have made and we are so grateful to have Leo in our lives. He brings more joy and unconditional love than I could have thought possible. And, if I am honest, he keeps things interesting – all the time.
It seems to me God offers us love and kindness in the most unconventional ways. Maybe God understands what we need when we need it. He may send you a message of love through a note or a friend. He may offer you joy through a memory or an event. It might be God offers you a little something special through your garden or a walk in the woods. For me, all of these things could be true. But there is just something extra special about the love of my buddy Leo. And it isn’t for me only. Anyone who spends any time around us will get a heaping dose of attention, served up by Leo himself. I couldn’t think of a better gift than that.
May God offer you an extra dose of kindness and love in unexpected but joyous ways today.
Focus Scripture:
Genesis 1:24-25
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 