We've been convinced for the past four Christmases that Old George wouldn't make it to the next one but he just keeps hanging in there, living on, into one more day.
Some say that dogs live only in the moment, that they don't look forward to tomorrow. Dogs don't hope. Dogs don't have faith. Dogs can't forgive because they can take no offence. They are a dumb animal.
I don't beg to disagree.
It's precisely the fact that George lives in the moment that he still lives. He's been perfectly present every moment of his long life, more so than many people seem to be. George always looked forward to me coming home. He looked forward to jumping into the truck and going for a drive. George hoped I would come home in the same way my daughters looked forward to seeing me pull into the driveway at the end of the day.
So don't tell me dogs don't have faith. They believe in us more than we believe in God.
Kick a dog and he'll be back the next day to give you a chance to love him again. God blesses you with a challenge, you think God kicks you and God doesn't exist for a season. God's gone until you really need something again.
George forgave me, I don't know how many times, for being a jerk, for being too busy to play catch, for not taking him to work, for not going together for a walk. But when I was down, when I couldn't make sense of things, when I was so far out of the moment that it's a miracle the next minute came along anyway, George was there. He came to my rescue. He would prance around, bark, grab my hand to get me up and moving or he would just put his head on my lap, looking up every once in a while with deep black, knowing eyes. George let me know that everything was all OK.
Dogs aren't dumb.
But people, people hold grudges like a child clings to a toy. People don't want "to just drop it", as dogs do. They are afraid if they drop it, they might break. People don't live in the moment because people are upset about yesterday and worried about tomorrow.
A dog has faith in its master.
And people have faith in their Master as long as they are well groomed and well fed and have a warm bed and roof overhead.
Old George may not make it to next Christmas but I believe with all my being that his teachings to me will be present, not a present wrapped up under the Christmas tree but wrapped warm in my heart, remembering a Man's Best Friend.
Have you ever had a friend like George?
Sometimes it helps to have a reminder of that special friend hanging around. It's especially nice when that reminder recalls not just what your friend looks like but records the essence of that friend, the energy, the meaning of his or her life in your life. A photograph, a hand written post card, a cherished memorabilia or a painting.
This painting of Old George was done by Lynn Porter. This is only her second painting, ever.
Great artists see more than what is revealed visually and they possess the talent to illustrate it.
Lynn has captured the energy of our old friend George. His dog power is blue. His heart is gold. You can feel the warm assurance of trust in the brush strokes of red and orange. And over the stormy, angled background, George's steadfast gaze is into tomorrow, waiting for the day he'll move on, looking forward to the day Lynn and I will play with him again in big, copper green fields.
It's wonderful to have a friend like George. I want to be a friend like George.
It's wonderful to have a wife whose talent can capture the essence of the joy of living in the moment.
It's wonderful to know there's another moment just waiting to be lived.
PS ... Lynn's going to have her first gallery showing in about six months. Want an invitation?
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