Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I NEVER HAD A LOVE STORY

“I never had a love story”……how profound is that statement? Those are the words that someone wrote on a website that I belong to. When I read what the woman had to say (she was writing about her three failed marriages), I just knew that I had to use those words for an article. “How sad those words are” I thought to myself. In this whole big wide world of ours there are those that will never know what it is like to love and to be loved. Sad, indeed! There are so many different loves in ones life if we were to look for it. There’s the love of one’s children, one’s animals, love of one’s job, love of one’s friends, love of God and country and the list can go on and on. Oh I foolishly said to a friend of mine many years ago, “I just love my car!” It was a fancy little red sports car which I wanted all of my life! My friend said to me, “Barbara, you can’t love a car! It’s a thing.” He was right, I suppose, but I did love driving around it anyway! But truth be told, we are all looking for that connection with a significant other that all the other loves of our lives just aren’t capable of filling.

Some of us will love more than once or twice in our lifetime, but to find “the one” is what most of us are looking for. But what if you never do find “the one” should you give up on love altogether thinking that it’s for everyone else but not for you? There are no guarantees in life. Perhaps you will never have a “love story!” We are all capable of loving. It’s our God given right. But it doesn’t mean that we will be loved back. It’s the subject that makes the Country/Western singers a fortune and yet some of their real life “love stories” are nothing but horror stories! Maybe that’s why they’re so good about writing and singing about pain!

Now one can live a life of bitterness and exclaim, “What about me? Why doesn’t someone love me?” Or you can choose to be a loving person anyway. Love will come to us in many different ways when we open ourselves up to it. And because this is a blog about dogs and more specifically the German Shepherd Dog; let’s begin there.

I’ve written many articles about the love one can receive from their dog. There truly is nothing like it. Even the most bitter of human beings can be wilted away to a blushing fool if he surrenders and opens up his heart to the love a dog. I don’t know of another being on this planet earth that is more determined and will try harder to win your love than a dog. It is after all what he lives for. No really, it is his only purpose on this earth. We don’t eat of his flesh, or drink of his milk or use his hide for leather. He is here to love and serve us, to guide and be a companion to us. I dare say, not too unlike a partner in one’s life!

I got up this morning thinking about how short a dog’s life is and wondered why that was. My oldest dog will be 8 in a couple of months and I hate it. I had just finished reading about a friend’s dog who is 13 and how hard it is for her to get around now and I read about the love he had for her in every word that he wrote. I don’t know why our dogs live such short lives. Why are they here for such a short time? Oh I do believe with all of my heart and soul that they are here to teach us how to love. I think dogs should be called “love” because I can’t find another purpose for them to be here on earth! I found this wonderful little quote about dogs: “The dog is mentioned in the Bible eighteen times and the cat not even once!” W.E. Farbstein (referring to the Old Testament). That’s not to say the cat is not some peoples beloved pets as well. But to know the love of a dog is to have him kidnap your soul. When he leaves us, it’s like a part of our soul leaves with him. I still find myself thinking of some of my beloved dogs that have been gone for many, many years. My love for them has never ended. They shall remain with me for the rest of my life. I still dream about some of them and I love it because they remain living, loving creatures if only for the amount of time I lay sleeping.

The fear of rejection is a very strong emotion that we all have. You can love someone and they don’t have to love you back. This is never the way with a dog. They will never reject your love. For the dog lover, we are “mad as hell” that they are with us for such a short amount of time. Geez, dear Lord, we’re just “getting going” with the dog. We’ve got so many more things we want to do with him yet. We’ve got places to go, people to see, things to do yet with our dogs. Why are you taking him away so soon? We’re just getting started! “Don’t take my love away we want to scream. Not yet. We’ve got so much more loving to do yet.” All our crying and pleading doesn’t change it. The dog will only be with us for maybe 8 – 15 years and it’s never enough! So love him now, because time keeps on moving whether we want to move along with it or not!

I believe the dog is a teacher without any words to speak. He speaks volumes in his actions and in his eyes that are almost human like. He sends messages to us about life every day. He teaches us how to survive with very little, how to forgive the unforgivable, how to enjoy life with the bare minimum, and how to love the loveless. Is it any wonder why we are tortured and grieve so much when they leave us? To have a being here with us for such a short time and to show us so much about living and loving is more than most of us can bear. But if we learned what we needed to from the dog, then we will have learned that we can go on without their physical presence with us. For you see when the dog came into our lives, he also snuck into our souls and it’s there that he resides until we meet up with him again on the other side of Heaven’s gate!

A few days ago, someone posted (on Facebook) a painting of all different kinds of dogs sitting up in the clouds on the other side of Heaven’s Gate waiting to be rejoined with their masters. I loved it and pray that God does rejoin us all with our beloved pets someday. They are by far some of the most angelic creatures put on this earth in my opinion!

There was a popular love song written back in 1984 called “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Some of us may never find it with another human being, but I believe God sends us love in many different ways. So if you never had a “Love Story”, but instead had the love of a dog, you have truly known the purity of what love is suppose to be. Grab onto her fast for she leaves us all too quickly. Your dog may just end up being the love of your life. It may have not been the love you were looking for, but it’s what you got and your life may never be the same again.

So if your dog is laying by your side right now like mine is snoring away as loud as a truck driver, reach down and pet her on her head and let her know that you love her. Oh loving doesn’t come without pain whether it is with another human being or your dog, but which ever it may be; hold on fast because you’re in for the time of your life. Embrace it; be thankful for it even if it’s for the short time you share with your dog. All it means is that you’re alive and still kicking and you can keep on kicking until you take your last breath. You are loved! Maybe you didn’t know it then, but the two of you began writing your own love story the moment God sent her to you.

Is it true then, “It’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?” This writer thinks so!


My rating: dog ownership: (4)!

11 comments:

  1. Barbara,
    Thoroughly enjoyed your writing today; I was speaking to someone recently about my son (only child now grown and married with a family of his own) and my comment was that I enjoyed him thru all the phases of his growing up years, I do not recall any phase of his life that was difficult or hard to deal with; but rather each phase was a time of great fun and sharing...and when I read your blog, it reminded me that I love all the phases of my GSDs lives...I love them as puppies, I love and take pride in their many accomplishments in the venues where they have excelled; and I truly love them in their older years because there is so much love and wisdom that just pours from their eyes...you are so right, in that the love of your dog is a prime example of the unconditional love of the Father...Thank you for putting a smile on my face today and know that I will spend even more time making sure that everyone of my dogs get extra time with me this evening just hanging out and loving one another... Pauline

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  2. Thank you Pauline. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. We are blessed for having these dogs in our lives even if it is for such a short time!

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  3. Barbara: You continue to out do yourself in expressing the most difficult topics which are so hard to express. I believe Erma Brombeck said it best when she said when she appeared before God she wanted to say: I have used every bit of everything you gave me. That is from memory but I think the meaning is clear.
    That is truly the case of our beloved dogs/family members. They use everything they have been given and when they go they have used it all. They have given out more love than any of us imagined was possible. That is why when they go they leave such a very large hole in our hearts. Like Erma, when I get to the gates of Heaven I hope I too can say I've used everything you have given me.
    Excellent job Barbara, your writing is like a breath of fresh air.

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  4. Bruce, thank you for your very kind words like usual my friend. Who would have ever thought that dogs could mean so much to those that they share their lives with? Us dog lovers have truly been blessed!

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  5. what you say is true, barbara...which is why some of us, when we lose our "best friend" to death say NO MORE DOGS!!!....and wind up with 4! bless you, my friend. :)+

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  6. I hear you Carol. My mother told me after I lost my last boy at 14 1/2 and she saw how devastated I was, said "No more Barbara!" And here I am with three more! Oh my goodness having to go through this three more times if not a happy thought!

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  7. Barbara, I loved this article. Thank You for those words! I've been blessed with numerous love stories. Our protectors make many love stories. "Dogs, bless them, operate on the premise that human beings are fragile and require incessant applications of affection and reassurance. The random lick of the hand and the furry chin draped over the instep are calculated to let the shaky owner know that a friend is nearby." Lord, I keep watch! If I am not here who will guard their house watch over thier sheep? be faithful? No one but You and I understand what faithfulness is. They call me, "Good dog! Nice dog!" Best dog in the whole world!" Words.... These are love stories. Kathy Sater-Partch

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  8. Barbara, I loved this article. Thank You for those words! I've been blessed with numerous love stories. Our protectors make many love stories. "Dogs, bless them, operate on the premise that human beings are fragile and require incessant applications of affection and reassurance. The random lick of the hand and the furry chin draped over the instep are calculated to let the shaky owner know that a friend is nearby." Lord, I keep watch! If I am not here who will guard their house watch over thier sheep? be faithful? No one but You and I understand what faithfulness is. They call me, "Good dog! Nice dog!" Best dog in the whole world!" Words.... These are love stories. Kathy Sater-Partch

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  9. Thanks so much Kathy for adding your special thoughts on this article. I know how much you love your dogs....it's so evident in your words and oh how I love those pictures you share with me all the time!

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  10. Baron is my first non hunting dog. And he has turned out to be the most lovable. Well actually they all were. But he is the best...:)

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  11. And I bet he loves to hunt with you as well! They really are a great all around dog!

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