Sunday Night Reflections

Tonight, I thought I would share a story.

Over the past week, as I've thought about the possibility of saying goodbye to my little dog, I've remembered some of our favorite times and some of my favorite stories.

When we would be in Galveston, Texas, an island off the coast of Texas, quite often, I would take Little Bit to the beach to run. There is a beach near the end of the island that is like the moon, just a wide open expanse of sand and water. During the winter months, the beach is basically abandoned, so I could let her go and run to her heart's content. She would run so fast, and so far until she looked like a small little black dot. Then she would turn around and the little black dot would grow larger as she ran back to me. All the while, her tongue hanging out of her mouth, and I swear, a smile on her face.

One day, a car drove up on the beach, but came to a stop when they saw her running. The passenger door opened, and very slowly a man stepped out of the car. Every step and movement was labored and difficult. He held on to the side of the car as he moved toward the front. I could see that he had cerebral palsy.

For a moment, he stood still and just watched as Little Bit ran, running into waves and chasing birds. He then yelled over to me with a big smile on his face and said, "isn't it wonderful to just watch her run?!!" He really wasn't looking for an answer, as he quickly turned and continued to enjoy watching her run about. I just stood there, grateful that I had the opportunity to watch this man find so much joy in the simple running of a dog. 

As I watched the man watch Little Bit, I thought about how difficult his life must be, how easy it would be for him to be angry, at God, the world, just life in general. But there was no trace of anger in his spirit, just a pure sense of joy in this very simple moment.

I've thought so often of this man and the lessons he taught me that day. First, although I may not be able to do something, I can still find joy and happiness for others who can. And second, keep my eyes open and never be in such a hurry that I miss seeing beauty, even if it's just watching a little dog run.