My Earth Angel

Do you know if you have an Angel around you?  Do you even believe in Earth Angels?
Let me tell you a secret: you don’t have to believe in anything for it be true....

But if you’re like me and believe in Angels then you are really going to like this story. It is a story of love, friendship, and incredible life lessons learned from God's gift to humankind - the dog!  Yes – dogs, all animals in fact, just like children, can teach us many important lessons.  And as my beloved dog turned three years old this month, I honor him.

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This beautiful face is the face of my Angel at three months old.  His name is Tiko and his mission in life, first and foremost, is to be joyful and loyal and make my heart smile– such is his nature - all the time!  

I was fostering this little guy for only two week, three years ago this Christmas, and within the first week I knew I was in big trouble.  This dog was following me EVERYWHERE.  Yes, I know you might be thinking that all puppies do that and I agree, but this had a lot more to it...you had to be there :)  Knowing that I was not in the position to adopt him (crazy neighbor next door (now gone), not in the budget, still not able to walk myself properly (remnants of back injury), and about to embark on my coaching certification journey with The S.W.A.T. Institute). I took him back to the humane society and, like a little girl, cried everyday wishing I could keep him.  Then, one beautiful day, my really wonderful and loving friend, Brad, who lives in Calgary, called me to see how I was doing.  What he heard was my heart aching as I expressed how deeply I missed Tiko.  After a short time he helped me see that the only reason truly stopping me from adopting this puppy was the price tag.  And here is where the miracles began: Brad, in his loving and generous nature, offered to pay for the adoption.  He gifted Tiko to me as a token of his appreciation of my friendship. Brad told me that he was waiting for an opportunity to express his gratitude for when I help him with his puppy, Madilynn, a while back and that this was a perfectly suited opportunity to do just that – and it was!  I was so happy to hear his words that, at first, I did not know what was more beautiful: what he was saying to me and the depth of his appreciation or the gift of Tiko.  I’ve decided it was a tie.

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If I were writing about dogs before I met this incredible Being, I would have told you that I would only have/buy/adopt my favorite breed, German shepherd, and no other dog - ever!
But as I'm writing this today I have other things to say.   And here is what I have learned, thus far, since I was blessed with Tiko's presents:

~ Perfection is in how you feel not what you see
~ Love is how much you want to give not be given
~ Gratitude is the expansion of your heart beyond what you have known and felt before       as  you appreciate everything
~ We allow ourselves to love deeply to the same degree to which we allow ourselves to         be vulnerable
~ Acceptance is when what you wished for didn't transpire and you come to realize you       don't wish for it anymore, because what came to you, instead, far exceeds your wish
~ Commitment is the dedication with which you keep your promises, no matter what           
As time went on, Tiko showed me a lot about me, some good and some...well, let's call it 'that which can be tweaked'... and he is tweaking it alright!  See, I noticed that I get frustrated a lot more often than I thought - how?  He is not only my Earth Angel, he is also what I call my attitude police.  It all started shortly after he figured I was keeping him for good.  First, I was not allowed to curse, then I was not allowed to raise my voice or get angry.  And now, as he tightens the screw...lol, I can't even get a little ticked at something (usually it's Windows 8), without him immediately coming to me, putting his beautiful face on my lap or poking at me with his paw and looking at me as if to say: this is unnecessary, stop it, look how cute I am...feel that instead!  Works like a charm every time!

He truly is a special 'breed' and I am incredibly blessed to have him.  I know he will teach me more while we walk our journey together.  Just like he helped me to remember to be more child-like.  Who would have thought that I would be chasing a dog around my back deck or around a tree in the park laughing out loud while at it? (no, I don't mind if people see or hear me, way passed that!) I tell ya, God really knows what He is doing, who to send us and when, and I think He really likes me, 'cuz He sent me a good one!!!  Thanks, Brad!!!

What is your Earth Angel story?  Comment and share if you like.