Happiness Is A Warm Puppy
One of the Christmas presents that I got this year was a poster with the “Peanuts” character Snoopy smiling and hugging the character Woodstock. Above it is the caption: “Happiness is a warm puppy.” It always makes me smile when I look at it. When I glanced at it this morning, though, an old memory awakened in my mind that made my heart smile as well.
I was a very sick little boy. I was at home with the mumps. This was long before vaccines made them rare. My face was swollen, my throat was sore, I couldn’t eat, my body ached and I just felt miserable all over. My loving Mom had put me in her own bed to keep an eye on me, but I wasn’t getting better. I was just hanging on. To make matters worse my dog Duke had run off again. He was an indoor and outdoor dog and whenever a stray dog was in heat, Duke would follow her hoping to increase his lineage. It had been several days now and he hadn’t yet come back home again.
Finally that morning my Dad found him half starved and collapsed in front of our home. He picked him up, carried him in the house and gave him water and a good meal to eat. Then Mom cleaned him off, carried him into her room and put him in bed with me. Something in her heart must have told her that snuggling up together would help us both to feel better. She was right too. The second I saw my beloved pup, I wrapped my arms around him, and felt my heart fill with pure happiness. I think it was in that moment that I finally started to heal. It wasn’t long too before Duke and I were both well and playing outside together again.
Dogs are one of the greatest gifts our Heavenly Father has ever given us. Every day they warm our hearts. Every day they give us pure, unconditional love. Every day they teach us about living in happiness and joy. May we always Thank God for them and embrace they lessons they teach.
