SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Month: December 2025

  • Leo Makes Me Better

    Leo is our dog.  Wendy and I have had dogs in our lives since we were first married.  I brought home our first two and we have had them as an important part of our family continually.  They have brought joy, love and excitement to our household.  

    If I’m honest, all of our dogs have loved Wendy.  Even the dogs that started out as one of the kid’s dogs or mine eventually became Wendy’s.  She just has that touch and they all love her.  Most tolerate me, some put up with me only when she is gone.  Then we got Leo.  

    Leo is our second Vizsla.  Emma was my running dog who became Wendy’s best buddy.  She was our first Vizsla.  Leo was a challenge when we first got him.  He was all puppy.  And, like Emma, he sleeps in the bed with us.  Leo was different.  Emma would curl up in a ball and sleep at the foot of the bed.  Leo has to lay close enough to touch you, always.  

    I am not really a touchy type of person.  This took more adjustment than I care to admit.  He really liked to be close and knew no personal space boundaries.  I thought for sure he would just end up as Wendy’s dog, especially since he liked to be close.  But, it turns out, he loves us both.  He may be the most loving dog ever.

    Leo has been through more than his share of challenges.  He was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder after being almost completely paralyzed.  The prognosis wasn’t great but he powered through.  Most recently, he was diagnosed with cancer and had to have a limb removed.  Again, he powered through.  That’s incredible.  But that isn’t all that makes him so special.

    What makes Leo so special is his ability to simply love.  He climbs up next to me, lays his head in my lap and simply enjoys my presence.  He lays as close to us as possible in the bed.  He sleeps a lot more now but never misses an opportunity to be right by our side.

    Leo has changed me, slowly and with much resistance on my part.  He has shown me what unconditional love looks like.  He has forced me to crave his presence next to me.  He brightens my morning when I come in simply by the excited wagging of his tail.  And he never ceases to amaze me.  He just loves.  And I am grateful.  So, I’ll treasure the moments we have left.  And his love will always have an impact on me.  What a gift from God.  

  • I Would Have Missed It

    It was an hour before the alarm would go off.  My eyes popped open because my brain was in overdrive.  There were so many things to do.  I went through my day over and over.  There was one part I wasn’t sure how it would happen.  It needed to happen, but I couldn’t figure it out.  And so my brain continued to go through all the scenarios.  

    This morning isn’t all that unusual.  Many mornings I wake up with an agenda and a plan.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes not.  This particular morning I was more overwhelmed than usual.  I felt the weight of it all.  I tried to go back to sleep – I still had an hour to go and it would be an early morning as it was.  I needed this hour of sleep.  But there was no use.  

    I had told myself the night before that if I woke up early, I would go for a run.  I felt confident I wouldn’t wake up early.  It was really cold outside and I honestly did not want to face it.  I just wanted to stay in my warm bed and sleep until the last moment.  But, it didn’t turn out that way.  I was awake.  I was going to fight it and then I had a glimpse, a momentary vision.  It was of a beautiful night sky filled with stars.  It was breathtaking.  It was as if the vision was speaking to me – this is what awaits.  If I’m honest, I still didn’t want to go out in the cold so early.  But I got up.

    I put on my winter running clothes and headed out the door, very reluctantly.  I knew I would feel better if I would just go.  So, I did.  The run was challenging – I am not in as good of shape as I would like.  It was cold and dark.  But I headed out anyway.  

    Here’s what happened – the view was there…the vision was correct.  I had forgotten how amazing the night sky was on cold mornings.  The moon was bright and the stars sparkled.  I was in awe, one more time.  

    This was my reminder of what an artist the Creator is.  The painting poured out before me could not be replicated.  Photos would never do it justice.  The moment was just that – a moment in time.  I would have missed it if I had not gotten up.  I would have slept through the magic.  

    This doesn’t mean I won’t sleep through it in the future.  It was a powerful reminder of what awaits if I am simply willing to get moving.  Breathe, watch God work, and admire the creation laid before us.  What a morning indeed.