Thank You

She is a magical lady.

I was having a rough time getting to sleep.

Tossing and turning, I couldn't stop the hurricane of heartaches whirling through my mind. Though I'm usually able at the end of the day to lay aside my troubles and find my peace, on this night, I was struggling.

Desperately.

As the waves of melancholy washed over me, I realized that I was out of my own depth and so I reached out for the last hand-hold of desperate people everywhere.

I prayed to God.

It was a simple prayer; childish, really. Sincere and direct. Unabashedly needy.

Please God, give me your peace.

Now, as I was swirling about in this sea of confusion and pain, my dog was busy with her own problems. Bless her heart, she was looking for a good place to lie down.

Normally, Gracie is not a cuddler. Undoubtedly, she loves me with every fiber of her being, and she keeps me locked in close visual range, but she has proven to have zero need to sleep in physical contact with me.

Which is a bit of a disappointment, because my previous setter, Ranger, was an A1 champion cuddler. Every night of his life, Ranger would hop up on my bed, curl himself ever so perfectly to the crook of my legs, and gently, comfortingly, rest his sweet red head across my knees. He brought me endless peace with this simple act, and in the way that only a dog can do, he eased my soul.

Anyway, with my mind bent round my troubles, I was only vaguely aware that Gracie had hopped up next to me and was circling around for the perfect spot. As I began my end-of-my-rope prayer for peace, I did not feel her curl up beside me, tucking herself perfectly into the crook of my legs.

It was in the exact instant that I spoke the word "peace" clearly and distinctly inside my head that her sweet red head came to rest across my knees. In a flash, my heart was flooded with peace, and my soul was eased. 

And to God, the architect of this beautiful relationship between human and dog, I whispered.

 Thank you.