Wisdom comes to us in millions of amazing ways in this world.  Just today I was driving up to the local bank’s drive through lane.  A red pickup truck was in front of me.  On the back of it was a bumper sticker that said: “Dear Lord, please help me to be the person that my dog already thinks I am.”  I laughed and smiled at this.  Then I thought to myself: “That is probably one of the best prayers I have ever heard.”

When I got back home I leaned down to pet my ancient, ailing, partially blind beagle.  She felt my hand on her head and stretched her neck up to feel my fingers going over her head and back.  Her whole body relaxed and felt at peace from just my touch.  Then I took a plate of food over to my much younger golden retriever mix and he bounced his sixty pound body up and down like he was still a puppy.  He devoured the plate of dog food like it was the most delicious feast in the world.  Finally, I sat down at my desk but before I could get any work done my daughter’s eight pound, furry, slurp machine jumped into my lap and started to kiss my chin.  I put off my work for a few minutes longer while I petted her.  And I thanked God once again for giving us dogs.

What is it about our furry friends that makes them love us so purely and unconditionally?  I thought again about the bumper sticker I saw earlier and repeated the prayer.  I realized too that if all of us in this world loved each other as freely and beautifully as our dogs loved us that all of this world’s conflicts and problems would rapidly disappear.

May we all one day become the people our dogs already think we are.  May we all take the lessons they teach to heart.  May we love each other freely and unconditionally.  And may we always thank our Father in Heaven for our best friends on Earth.

Joseph J. Mazzella