When Love Snuggles Up: What my dog teaches me about Christmas

In addition to our two human children, Debra and I share our house with a dog.  Our dog is a big red dog (obligatory Clifford reference, RIP Norman Bridwell!) named Amos.  He is awkward, he is somewhat annoying, and he eats like there is no tomorrow. In the 5 years he has been a part of our life, Deb and I have determined that Amos has two main priorities: His number one priority? Food.  If his bowl isn't perpetually filled, he will whine and paw to the point where we either have to fill it, or pick it up (we will admit to doing more of the former rather than the latter, which probably explains why Amos is a touch on the heavy side). Number two on his list is the need of the constant, focused attention of one of the humans in the house (usually, it seems, me).

When Amos wants attention, there is no mistaking what it is he desires, and there is no denying him.  He will very purposefully walk over to you, and sit down in such a way that his nose is no more than six inches or so from yours.  He will then look at you like this....

Are you paying attention?

He will then sit there and stare at you until you of course, start petting him. But woe to the one who stops petting him before he is finished with you. If you dare attempt to move on to something else, he will promptly repeat the entire procedure, as many times as necessary until he is convinced, once again, that he is in fact loved by the humans in his house.

The other morning I was running late to get out the door on my way to church.  It's been a busy week this week, it's almost like there is a MAJOR Holy Day coming up or something, and I was distracted by the rather extensive to-do list awaiting me.  I sat down to put my shoes on, and here comes Amos, he lumbers over in such a way that makes the floor shake and then assumes the position.  It seems that he always picks the most inconvenient times to demand my attention.  But it's like he knew...it's like he knew that my brain was in different places, and he knew that he would have to try a different tactic.  So as I'm sitting there, trying to lace-up my shoes with this very serious face not a foot a way from mine, as I'm trying to get on with the busyness of my day, Amos very gently lays his head on my legs and looked up at me with a face that said only one thing: "I just want to know I matter...."

What can you do in a situation like that, except love on your dog?  And, you  know, it was a good experience. I was thankful for that opportunity because  it feels good when love snuggles up, doesn't it?  It feels good whether it's our pets, our children, our parents, our friends, or our significant others.  It feels good when the feeling of love becomes tangibly present and we have a reminder to come out of our own little bubbles and be reminded of the bigger picture, and of what really matters.   When love snuggles up, for just a moment, nothing else really matters, everything else seems to fade away, and you find yourself lost in the present moment.

As we journey together into the busyness of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we can all find ourselves being drawn into our own little bubbles.  We are all trying to check off our to-do lists and ensure that everything is just "perfect."  Of course, this is nothing new, it's been like this for, it seems, forever. We humans have this determination within us to continue doing the things we think are right, without hesitation, question, or consideration of motives or purpose. Even when it comes to holy causes, we continue to try to create the experiences in our image, and our likeness, giving only second thought to the One who is the great Creator, and the One who invites us to share in the Holiness.

When Amos laid his head down on my leg, showing me in his own way that he loved me and wanted to be loved by me, I could not help but think of a night 2000+ years ago in a town called Bethlehem  when the God of Love decided to creep into our world and into our lives and snuggle up beside us. I cannot help but think that God of all Creation shared the same desire as my dog; the desire to show us how much we are loved, and how much God wanted to be loved by us.

Sometimes Love knows no other way to get our attention besides squirming and wedging its way into the forefront of our consciousness, demanding our attention, and compelling us to consider how we will respond.

Just as I am thankful to have not passed up the opportunity to share in a moment of love with my dog, I am thankful that we all have the opportunity to share in a similar moment with one another and with the One who is the complete personification of Love on Christmas Eve. I am glad to have the moments of sacredness that Christmas provides to be thankful for the love that is present in my life and the Love that connects each and every one of us together.

Merry Christmas