As a Catholic, I believe in and have experienced most of the
seven sacraments of the church. The sacraments--like baptism, reconciliation,
Eucharist, and marriage are defined as “outward and visible signs of inward and
spiritual divine grace.” They are God’s way of sharing his holiness with us and
calling us to be witnesses to continue his son’s legacy of making the world
holier.
A few days ago, I came to the realization that perhaps there
is an 8th sacrament of sorts worth experiencing. The outward sign of
this new-found grace in my life came in the form of a single paw print stamped
into the pure white snow in my backyard.
Two months ago a beautiful gift came into my life that
inspires and reminds me on a daily basis to love with Christ’s unconditional
love, forgive with God’s ceaseless mercy, and serve others with tireless
devotion. That gift is a rambunctious ball of brown fur whose name……is Wallace
Cornelius.
Andy and I had talked about getting a dog for a long time.
But like a lot of “parents” to be, we were waiting for the perfect time and
circumstances before bringing one into our home. We wanted to have our yard
fully fenced and for the weather to be warm and pleasing. We wanted months to prepare
and adjust to the ideas of our daily life changing.
But true to form, God had other plans and undoubtedly spent
some time chuckling at all our careful planning.
Just a couple of weeks before Christmas, Andy called a
breeder to put our name on a waitlist for a lab puppy. The plan was to
hopefully get in on a dog from a litter that would be ready to come home in
late spring or early summer. After taking down our info and learning that we
were hoping for a male chocolate lab, the breeder informed Andy that she had a
male chocolate puppy whose previously selected family had decided to wait a bit
longer. So if we wanted him, he was ours.
Since my first puppy came to me on Christmas morning when I
was only about 2 or 3 years old, I was thrilled at the idea of having another
Christmas puppy. It felt like it was meant to be.
Flash forward a few weeks and we were on our way home from
Whitehall, with a very sleepy puppy passed out in my lap.
One of the first questions we got asked about Wallace was
how did we come up with his name? Andy and I both always smile at that question
because…..much like Wallace himself, his name had been in the works for quite
some time.
Two summers ago, my sister-in-law Holly was living with us.
It was the first summer in our new house and we were already starting to talk
about the day we would have a dog bouncing around our yard. Holly was very
supportive and anxious of this prospect. But she explained to us that she felt
all dogs should be given “old man names.” To clarify, any kind of name you imagine
your grandfather having such as Albert, George, or Harold. Wallace was one of
the names she initially suggested and from that day on it just stuck.
Those first few days of having Wallace at home were a true
joy. He was so small and cuddly and we took many a nap together on the floor. I
believe that there is an empty space inside all of us that only a dog’s
presence in our life can ever fill. You don’t realize the space is there until
you first bring a dog into your life…..or until a dog first passes out of your
life. And honestly, I believe the same can be said of the Holy Spirit. You
don’t realize how much healing and grace you need in your life until you decide
to hand your life fully over to someone as far above and beyond you as God.
It’s hard to believe that Wallace has gained over 20 pounds
since bringing him home and that his paws hardly struggle to reach the tops of
our counters now. He has an obsessive love for peanut butter and frozen baby
carrots. He wiggles his butt so much when he’s excited that it’s amazing he can
even stay upright. He has yet to find his big dog voice but never runs short on
warm, wet kisses for anyone who looks his way.
From potty training and tattered baseboards, to stolen
beanie hats and plenty of bite marks, we have certainly had our share of
frustrating days with Wallace. We have both lost our temper with him a time or
two. And some days all we can do is count down the minutes till we can put him
in his kennel for bed. But the first five minutes of my day are now some of my
favorite because I get to see his big amber eyes and wiggly butt greet me. And
no matter how loudly I yelled at him the night before, he loves me just as much
10 minutes later as he would have if I had never yelled at him.
As my dad asked the other day, “Is there ever anyone more
happy to see you when you get home than your dog?” The number of times in a day
I now smile, laugh, and feel totally at peace with the world has multiplied a
hundred times over thanks to Wallace and the simple, exuberant, and “old soul”
way about him.
God left his church sacraments for us to receive so that we
could more visibly see the grace he brings into our life. He calls us to live
holy lives and love others unconditionally. And while I’ve spent a good deal of
time before on my knees in prayer and in silent reflection with a bible open in
my lap, the purest form of unconditional love and mercy I’ve witnessed in my
life has been by walking side by side with a dog.