Thankful for: my dog
I know that sounds silly, but lots of great things can come from having a dog.
My dog's name is Eva (pronounced like "Ave" backwards) and she was selected by my wife from a group of stray pooches at the Fairfax animal shelter. She was 4 months old and needed a bath, steady food and a lot of training. The sign on her cage said she "fights over food" which usually means she's been a stray a while and is used to going hungry. We couldn't quite make out what the sign said until the lady at the desk said, "Hmm. She fights over food. Do you have any other animals?" We have two cats - the first few weeks were a bit of an adventure because she wasn't happy the cats got the run of the house and got food while she was in her crate.
I could write for hours about how great my dog is. But instead I'll write about the great things having her have taught me.
1. Consistency and discipline: dogs need walks. Dogs need training. Dogs need exercise. This forces you to do those things and be consistent. You can't be lazy and treat a dog well. Walks can be decent prayer time as well.
2. Conversation: dogs make for good conversation. Neighbors get sucked in to getting to know your dog sometimes before they get to know you. They force you to engage people and be cordial, if not open.
3. Companionship: dogs remind you how wonderful creation is and how good God is. Dogs remind Man of his need to care for creation.
4. Simplicity: Very simple things make dogs ecstatic. It's good to consider that you can find happiness in the simple things God sends your way.
5. Dogs sleep in: My dogs is not like my cats, who dance on my head at 5:30am because it's feeding time. Thank God for that.
