I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and an awesome week - personally and professionally fulfilling - coming to a close for you. Further, I truly hope that you will choose, truly determine in the depths of your heart, that today will be a great day.
I am so blessed. Every day I get to take my boys to school. The time we get to spend together on the drive (with where we live the drive is at least 45 minutes) is truly priceless and I cherish it. I learn so much about them, from them. We talk, we laugh, we play, sometimes we get grumpy at each other and sometimes we sing...the louder the radio is the better our singing sounds!
After dropping off my 1st grader my Sophomore and I take a maze of roads to get to his high school. By the way, this week we got a green light at a light that has only been green for us twice all year - literally. WooHoo! We were so excited which is either truly pathetic or a testament to appreciating all blessings, big and small...your choice. We choose to see it as a blessing and there will be excitement for us again today as we approach that light...we might just be blessed again!
Anyways, our path leads us past another elementary school. We have noticed that just a short distance past the cross walk - which is right in front of the school - we always see this sweet, chubby cheeked - transitioning from a baby into a boy...too soon to become a man! - little boy, looks to be a 1st grader, walking down the sidewalk. He is set to conquer the world, bold, brave, confident walking to the crosswalk all by himself...or so he thinks. I just love this age...his backpack goes from his shoulders to about half way down his legs and yet in his mind's eye he is full grown, ready for anything. About 100, perhaps 200 yards past him - the direction he is walking from - are 4 watchful eyes. Two belong to what appears to be his Mom. She looks like a Mom - youthful, wearing sweats and she has that look on her face of knowing that she has to let her baby go, slowly and yet seeming way too fast, and yet being close enough - though her boy doesn't realize it - that she can protect him, help him if there is danger.
And then there are the other two eyes. These eyes belong to a black dog - looks to be the mix between something like a Pit Bull and a Golden Retriever. The dog too looks very young, not fully grown. This dog sits at the feet of the Mom and stares completely unflinchingly - I can't find the words to adequately describe the focused attention this dog has on the boy - at the boy. The dog is studying every step the boy takes, not one muscle moving and seemingly ready to explode out of his crouched position should he detect the slightest need on the part of the boy. The totality of the full seen - a little boy beginning his journey into the world, a Mom slowly letting go and the love of a dog - is really special to see. My Sophomore and I have talked about this several times over the past week - how cool is it that a 15-year old notices this?!?! - and I have thought a lot about that dog. It is these thoughts that I would like to share with you on this beautiful Friday morning.
- What would life be like - our marriages, our families - if we gave the focused attention to our wives, to our husbands, to our children that the dog does to his boy? You see, when this dog intensely focuses on his boy there are other kids everywhere, there are other Mom's, there are cars slowly creeping by and yet the dog seems not to notice any of these things. His focus is unflinchingly on his boy - watching for his boys wants, needs, cares. What if this was the focus I had on my Beautiful Bride at all times? What if this was the focus I had on my three Tender Warriors at all times? Lovingly watching them, intently & intensely, watching for their wants, needs, cares...ready to explode from my position to their side in a second. Yes, the focused attention of this dog...that's what I desire - I am determining in my heart & mind - this morning. Is it pathetic that I am 44-years old and I am learning from a puppy?!?! Please don't answer!! :)
- Have you ever been happy or excited around a dog? I mean really excited - dancing around, woohooing, carrying on like a fool with pure joy pouring out of every pore in your body. And what did the dog do? It ran around, perhaps barked, wagging it's tail so furiously that it almost knocked itself over...doing the dog equivalent of carrying on like a fool. Why? Because you were happy. The dog didn't even know the reason for the joy however it knew that you were joyful and therefore, it was joyful with you. What if I lived like that? What if, simply because my Bride or my sons were happy, I came alongside them and joined them in their joy...always? No need to ask questions, try to impart some wisdom, try to share some insight, etc...you are happy, I am happy. Period.
- Have you ever been sad around a dog? Laying around, maybe crying, beat down by the world...we all experience these things by the way. And what did the dog do? It laid their with you, snuggled you - doing everything in its power to let you know that it loved you unconditionally, that it was there for you. The dog feels no need to try to tell you anything, to fix a problem, etc. It just shows unconditional love to you and stays right by your side every step you take. What would life by like, what would my Bride and my sons be like, if this was the unconditional love I showed to them all the time?
Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I am always willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and cherish - this is a choice! - your precious families.
Kev
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