Jack

For those of you who know me, you know that I share my life with my husband of 22 yrs. and three Cavalier King Charles Spaniels; Jack, Gus and Robbie. We feel greatly blessed to have stumbled across one of the best Cavalier breeders in the country and have enjoyed 5 of her beautiful dogs in our home, to date.
These wonderful little spaniels have graced our home since 1995 and have added a layer to our lives which is filled with sweetness, great joy and an unencumbered passion for the breed. We didn't mean to, but we have become "those people." You know the ones who think that everyone is as taken with their dog as they are. Hint: if you ever see me and ask about our dogs, be prepared to gaze adoringly at several of the latest photos.

We like to take our little guys to the park and walk the wonderful trails together. We love seeing the faces of our community both young and old and everyone in between. It has become a regular occurrence for us to be stopped at some point along our walk to receive compliments on our Cavaliers. Indeed, if you've ever watched a Cavalier strut his/her stuff on a stroll in the park or in the show ring, it is a sight to behold. The emotions these little ones endlessly churn up in my heart is sheer joy, so much so that as we walk the trail the cadence in my step sounds sort of like happy, happy, joy, joy --- happy, happy, joy, joy!! 
Anyway, you get the point. It's just really difficult to have a bad day in the park with Gus, my 3 year old Blenhiem. Notice that Cavaliers are born into one of four color groups. These being Blenheim, Tri-Color, Black & Tan or Ruby. Gus is a born explorer and a great talker. More about that later. He loves to get in the car and go, go, go and he truly dreams about the park. And, of course, he is beauty in motion as his fur is soft and silky and flies back from his face & legs as he trots along by my side. Gus never does anything half way and so he often abandons himself to the pursuit of pursuing, especially anything that flies. And in his pursuing he has the most wonderful expression of curiosity and attentiveness  which is punctuated by a great big grin from ear to ear. Yes, I know that there are those who say that dogs don't smile. These are obviously folk
who have never shared more than a passing pat with a dog. Those of us who are devotees, know better.

Jan Karon referred to her dog as "the heart beat at my feet." This is truly the case with our little Ruby Cavalier, Jack. Today is a gorgeous spring day and we would all love to be traipsing through the park and exploring as much as possible before night fall. That, however, is not possible, as Jack  has undergone surgery this week. We are hoping and praying that the Lord, with the surgeon's help, has seen fit to spare Jack's life. It was determined last week that Jack had a small pea-sized tumor and that it should be removed ASAP. I'll spare you the gruesome details. Suffice it to say that this is the 2nd full day after surgery and Jack is uncomfortable and in some pain.

My darling, gave me Jack as a present in the Fall of 2002. That Christmas I had Jack's papers and document of ownership transferred to my husband's name. It was the only sensible thing to do since Paul was completely smitten with him at first sight. Upon opening his Christmas present (yes, I re-gifted!) I noticed tears roll down his cheeks; one of two times, I've ever seen him cry.

Over the years, Jack has been our napping buddy; the sweet faced boy of whom we cannot seem to get enough photos. I've watched him roam our back yard as the sun was lowering in the southwest. It was these special moments in which Jack would be back lit by the sinking orange sun and his beautifully elegant ruby coat would sparkle like spun rose gold which took my breath away. God certainly spoke to us of His genius when He designed Jack, for He gave him the deepest, darkest, almost black eyes combined with the innocent, gentle expression of an empathetic soul. It is this expression combined with what we lovingly refer to as "the paw," that captures our hearts day after day. No one suffers alone in this house as Jack is Comforter-In-Chief, second only and perhaps inspired by the precious Holy Spirit himself. "The Paw" reaches out to lightly touch a face, a shoulder, a knee as if to say, "there, there" ! "The Paw" has also been known to reach into forbidden regions to retrieve whatever it may from an available plate left unattended, or to touch the arm which is holding the plate, to remind whose ever arm it is that there are always others with whom one may share their bounty.

Today, however, Jack and his paw have been rather subdued and not very interested in the treasures one finds on napkins or saucers. Today he wants a warm lap and a gentle hand across his head. He wants the soft voice of comfort which tells him he will be alright. Time to set aside my ramblings and focus on  Jack to let him know he's loved and that we are grateful to Jesus for the wonders He has made for our dominion and blessing. Dear Reader, let me commend you to Romans 8:18-23, as we all wait patiently for the redemption of these bodies.