God’s timing is always perfect, but, like a band at the beginning of marching season, we are too often out of step with his cadence. (I’m sorry but latent band mom tendencies are harder to extinguish than one might imagine.) We either rush through the music He has prepared for us, or we get behind and have to hurry to catch up. Once in a while, however, we find ourselves matching our stride perfectly to God’s beat, like that same band at contest time, and that happened for our family one Christmas many years ago. We were looking for a dog who would be good with our young boys when God led us to a family moving away from the area, a family with a dog they were trying to re-home. Our boys woke up on Christmas morning to a dog named Brownie, and the rest, as they say, was history.
Brownie was the dog God chose for us. That may sound strange, but I can’t think of any other way that a new dog would fit so seamlessly into a family from the first moment. He was our dog, and we were his family, and we all loved each other. It was that simple, that beautiful, and that perfect. Brownie was gentle and protective, willing to accompany two small boys on their share of adventures, and keep them out of trouble. You just had to look in his eyes to see his intelligence, his sweet spirit, and his laid back personality. He loved each of us in a way that showed he knew us as individuals, becoming the type of friend listed in Proverbs 17:17. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” I don’t want to give you the impression that he was a perfect dog–let’s just say he helped himself to many a pizza slice, and even a turkey, once–but he was the perfect dog for our family at the perfect time.
As you may have guessed, we lost Brownie this past week. Thanks to a wonderful friend, Brownie was able to spend his final moments in the home he shared with us, at peace and surrounded by love. I’ve read that God brings people into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, and I see no reason why pets should be excluded from that, but I think God sent us Brownie for a reason, a season, AND a lifetime. He came into our lives to teach us about love, helped us survive the “growing up” years, witnessed both of his boys (yes, they were his) becoming men, and left us once we had enough memories of him to last the rest of our lives. Although we miss him in a thousand small ways every day, I am so thankful that God chose Brownie to be our dog, and chose us to be his family. How privileged we were to share in God’s perfect timing for this one small moment, and how blessed we are to share in His perfect love for eternity!
Goodbye old friend!
Sometimes I forget how talented you were at writing until I read something like this and it brings a tear to my eye and a smile to my face. Your writing is beautiful and it comes from the heart. Your brownie was our Keisha and I never understood that bond until a pet becomes your family. She was a blessing and I never quite realized the enormous gift received until she was gone. May your memories of Brownie bring a smile to your face and peace in your heart. Love you girlie!