Today, April 2nd, 2012, marks seven years since a little pup named Charlie came into my life.
It’s hard to believe my big boy is SEVEN. It seems like only yesterday that Better HAlf and I brought him home.
It was Saturday, April 2, 2005. Better Half and I went to Pet Food Center to buy Lucy's favorite treats. As we walked through the doors we spotted a gated, circular enclosure. Sitting inside on garish green outdoor carpet was a puppy, both tongue and tail wagging 90 miles an hour. The little mutt was so cute that I couldn't help but pet him.
A sign on the gate said, "My name is Charlie: Please take me home."
Better Half was the first to pick Charlie up. I felt it coming at me like a Mack truck: A house with two dogs.
It had been a little over a year since Lucy arrived, but I had just gotten used to sleeping with a dog that snored like a human chainsaw. Now I was going to have to live with another one?
Of course, I tried to argue that we couldn't afford two dogs, but we all know how the story ended. I left the store with a half pound of treats under one arm, and 10 pounds of pup under the other.
Lucy met us at the back door. She was not pleased.
She eyed us as if to say, "I sent you for treats and you brought me THIS?"
But her displeasure soon turned to affection. It wasn’t that long before she attached herself to the goofy little prince that followed her everywhere. That bond is still as strong as ever.
Charlie grew like a weed—a stink weed that is, but became a magnificent dog nonetheless. He grew up way too fast. He wasn’t a small pup for long. It seemed to happen literally overnight. One day he was whimpering by the bedside, too small to climb up. The next, I was having to hang a leg over him so we’d all fit on the bed.
My Charlie: a tad mischievous, a little dirty, and at times, a bit trying of my patience. But I can’t imagine life without him.
From that gentle, furry face shines the brightest, most faithful light of love in the universe. I marvel at that light and wish I could be more like him.
You see, that’s why Charlie is so special to me. When God made his precious, loyal and loving heart, he made it just for me.
That sweet pup has been, and always will be, my best friend.
Every year on his birthday I take out a carefully preserved bit of cardboard. It’s something I have held onto over the years because it means so much to me.
It reminds me that life is full of surprises and that blessing come in many, many different packages.
On the cardboard is written, “My name is Charlie. Please take me home.”
I love you, Charlie! Happy Birthday to Daddy's Big Boy!!
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