Chloe Got Out!

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a brand new day prepares to dawn! You know, greatness is lurking out there! We will find what we seek in this day...opportunity or obstacle, greatness or struggle, hope or despair, the choices are limitless & they are ours!

You ever have one of those just really good days? You are driving home, feeling good about everything, just looking forward to some time with your family...that kinda day. Yeah, I was having one of those days on Tuesday. Flying up the I-45, singing loud & proud to the song on the radio, not a care in the world. And then my phone rang and it was my Beautiful Bride. As soon as I said hello, Kath said, "Chloe got out!" The panic & despair in her voice was palpable. She was trying hard not to cry. I was about 20 minutes from home and more than anything I just wanted to be right there with my Sweet Girl to give her a hug.

Chloe is our 1 1/2 year old Beagle however she is such more than just a dog...kinda like you and I are so much more than how people want to label us. She is morning snuggles, wiggly butts, wooo-wooo-wooo's, snuggles any time you want them, always happy & excited to see you, the chief food stealer, tons of kisses...she is a part of our family. She has her special little thing with every member of her family. I am the one that gets her up in the morning, we snuggle as I read, write notes and I am the one who puts her to bed at night. For the longest time when I would say, "Wanna go night night with Dad?" she would run to the corner of the bed and wait for me to pick her up so we could snuggle as I fell asleep. Now when I say this, she runs and puts herself in her kennel...it's tough when kids grow up! She & Kath are eating and nap buddies...she will finish most of Kath's meals for her and they like to melt into each other and nap. With Payton, they are just buddies. Everywhere Payton goes she goes. She and Gehrig have a special relationship. She is always happy to see G-Man. The rest of us get a wag of the tail and a few kisses when we wake up. G, he always gets a wiggly butt. They love to play with her rope, pulling on it and then melting into a snuggle. Landry is her chief play toy. She saves her greatest early morning snuggles for him...and her fiercest fights. Yes, Chloe is so much more than a dog...

So, we are currently having some work done to our house. One of the workers left the door open and, true to the nature of what she is - a Beagle - she took off. When Kath saw the door open she immediately knew...my phone call came shortly after. I could  not get home fast enough. We live right beside a very busy street with posted speeds of 30 mph...most take this as a simple recommendation and go 40 or even 50. We also live less than a 1/4 of a mile from a highway. I feared the worst and hoped & prayed for the best.

Let me cut to the chase, or search, here and tell you that Chloe was found, safe & sound. As a matter of fact, as I type this Happy Friday she and my Beautiful Bride are snuggled up in our bed together, sound asleep, not a care in the world. How this occurred, I do want to share with you.

After Kath called me she called her friend Jill who immediately hoped in her car and started driving around the neighborhood. Landry had taken off on his bike as soon as he heard his Mom yell, "Who left the door open?!" Jill would in turn call some of her friends as she drove around and they would also join in the search. Landry would stop & ask other kids who were out playing if they had seen a Beagle and after telling him "no", they would begin looking for Chloe as well. Kath kept calling more friends & co-workers. I was finally making it home so I drove down the speedway, uh road, that runs beside our house, hoping that I would not see anything in the road. My Beautiful Bride also called Gehrig, who was at a volleyball game, and asked him to come home and help search for Chloe. He immediately borrowed a friends truck and came home to aid in the search. And finally, the two men working on our house had jumped in their trucks and were driving around as well. The search party that was organized by Kath in about 2 minutes was incredible!

After what seemed like an eternity but was more realistically about 30 - 40 minutes, Kath & I were getting ready to drive past each other and she slowed down. She rolled down her window and said, "Chloe has been found and I am going to get her." The look of despair was still on her face however the sound of sweet relief was indescribable. What had happened is after Kath had called one of her fellow teachers at school to ask if she had seen Chloe, the teacher mentioned it to a neighbor. The neighbor mentioned it to a friend who...had seen a Beagle in the street nearly get hit by a car so she stopped to pick it up. She was on the way to pick up her kids so she had taken the Beagle with her. 

After thanking God, I reflected on what had happened. Deep gratitude filled my heart. Yes, I was grateful our precious little furry family member had been found alive however I was much more grateful for:

1. My Beautiful Bride who did a truly remarkable job under very difficult circumstances. She was scared & heartbroken however she did what we should all do more often when needing help...she asked for it. Nobody was off limits - if you know Kath and live in the general vicinity of Texas - you probably got a phone call. I pray for a humble heart that will seek help when I need it.

2. Friends that so selflessly responded to a friend in need. I am sure Jill wasn't sitting at home hoping someone would call her so she could go drive around the neighborhood looking for a dog. She has a family too. Just the same, she immediately hoped in her car and started driving around. Not only that, she started calling her friends, folks Kath and I don't even know, asking them to help. I pray that I will be that kind of friend. That whenever my friends call, regardless of what I have going on, I will drop everything and help them if they need me.

3. The lady - I don't even know her name - who was on the way to pick up her kids. She had a place to go and two really important little people to see...her kids. Just the same, she had the compassion in her heart that when she saw a dog almost get hit by a car, she stopped to pick it up. She not only saved the life of a dog, she prevented the hearts of 5 people from being broken. I pray that my eyes, ears & heart will be open, that I will have the compassion, that no matter my agenda, I will stop & help whenever I can.

4. My two Tender Warriors who immediately dropped everything to search for Chloe - Payton was in a class, mostly oblivious to the crisis that was happening at home. You know, sometimes as a Dad I wonder if they are getting it. Like the rest of us, kids can be selfish Little Monsters. Then, when the true moment of testing arrives, they show themselves to be all you hope & believe they will become. I thank the Lord for the work He is doing in their hearts and I will continue to pray daily that He will lead them through me.

I guess that is enough for this Friday. I am gonna sign off, go jump in bed and snuggle Kath & Chloe for a few minutes! :)

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.blogspot.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families, including the furry members of it!

Kev