A Boy and His Dog

I've come to the conclusion that it is true about a boy and his dog. They are best friends and inseparable. Our dog, Shadow, drives me nuts. She's moody and a frequent challenge for me, but to Jacob, she's a buddy and pal. We've had this dog since last July and my husband and I really thought that the newness would wear off and eventually Jacob would grow tired of the dog. Not so! He comes in from school every day and that dog goes nuts. She follows him around and he plays with her all the time. We're constantly telling him to put the dog down. He rolls around on the floor with her, chases her throughout the house and talks to her like she's human.(Okay, I talk to her like she's human too! She's actually a pretty good listener.)

Last night we hosted our supper six group and I came upstairs to check on Jacob and there he is playing a game on the computer with Shadow in his lap. Both of them staring at the computer screen calculating there next move. Buddies forever.

Last fall our church got the idea to break our congregation into couples of three (Supper Six) and for three months you have dinner together. Each couple takes a month and hosts dinner at their home one night. The hosting couple prepares a meat dish and one couple brings the vegetable and one couple brings the dessert. The idea is to focus on the fellowship and getting to know one another and not the meal itself. Couples sign up and they try to put together couples that are not as familiar with one another. Our group has an older couple with grown children and grandchildren, the other couple are young marrieds with an infant and us who are kinda in the middle. It's been a great concept and we've enjoyed getting to know each other better. February will be our final month together and we'll sign up again and get to know two new couples beginning in March. It's a very creative way to break down barriers and really spend time getting to know somone you may only see at church. It really builds bonds within our church and opens us up to make new friendships. I'm thankful for the opportunity to explore new relationships.

Father, I just want to praise you for placing people in our lives and giving us opportunities to connect with other Christians. I thank you too for my son and his love for his dog. I see in him a compassion for other living beings and a simple happiness.