We toyed with the idea of a new dog, but I could not find one that would heal my soul. I continued my search. I even inquired about a pup or two... nothing felt right; until I saw a beautiful black fur ball in a town not too far from home.
He was still available when I called, so I arranged a meeting.
My heart began to fill the minute I saw him and immediately placed a down payment.
I snapped this photo and we proceeded to come up with a name.
Maximus (Max) is what we decided on and I made bi-weekly visits until the day we brought him home.
Raising a puppy is hard work. (We forgot that part.)
Especially when this young guy is still weeks away from being able to control his bladder and bowels.
He is under constant supervision and we are still unable to stop mistakes from happening.
Just today, after I was freshly showered and getting ready for church, I stepped in a cold turd left behind by this cute little creature.
As I explained what happened to my husband, we both realized the metaphor this event represented...
No matter how hard we try to teach our children.
No matter what examples we set.
No matter how much we watch over them.
They will still explore the world around them
and quite possibly leave a turd for us to step in and deal with.
What is important here, is how we respond to this turd.
We can rant and rave and kick up a fuss, which will most often fall on deaf ears.
OR, we can pick up our little loved one, lavish them in hugs and kisses
and give them the opportunity to do better next time.
