Titus

As I was reading a thread today about a woman desiring a puppy after a recent loss it made me think about my own loss and my own puppy...

Right around this time 3 years ago we got our sweet puppy Titus on the heels of a miscarriage. We went to the humane society 'just to look'. We went in knowing we one day desired a golden retriever/lab mix and didn't expect to find one. You could tell it was spur of the moment because I was wearing all black and what clothes respecting human goes to visit dogs wearing all black. 

We looked at all the puppies and small dogs in the indoor space and of course we saw adorable pups but didn't even bother to get any out to play with. We went to look at the outdoor dogs and made it through an entire row without coming to a stop. We reached the second row...about halfway down Garritt and I both heeled (dog humor) and looked at each other. Before us wiggled a golden lab mix. He was small and beautiful. I had a minor freak out and began frantically asking Garritt how we went about getting it out. He said we should ask and I told him to go find someone while I stood right there, guarding the dog. I stood in front of that cage positive that if I moved someone would sweep in and take the dog. 

We walked Titus around a little and then sat in this small area with grasses and two benches. While I cuddled the pup, black clothes now masked in hair, I asked Garritt what we should do next. "Where do we go from here?"

Apparently this sweet dog had been bought before and returned. He had been taken to a home...the family decided they didn't like him...and discarded him right back into the shelter. He went from sleeping in a house to sleeping back on cement. He went from feeling loved and cared for to being cared for but not feeling the love of a family. Because of that he had all of his shots and microchip and we could take him home that day if we chose to. 

We chose to. 

He was wonderful and adorable and we went straight to Petsmart to buy him a collar with his name on it. 

We named him Titus and like his name he was strong and kind and protective and gentle. He was everything we needed him to be. And we became everything he needed. 

He got a little sick a few weeks after having him. As I cleaned up a mess he made I remember falling to the floor to cradle him in my arms and I began to weep and cry out to God to keep my puppy safe. If you remember, we were on the heels of a miscarriage... I begged the Lord to save my puppy. I didn't want another loss. 

3 years later and Titus has never been sick again. Aside from living fully to his lab potential and eating all kinds of things he shouldn't and then throwing them up! 

I just see so many parallels between loss, being saved, and finding hope. 

Now, we're on the heels of celebrating Easter. 

Jesus was embraced by a group of people... then rejected by the same people...brutally murdered...and then came back to fulfill His promise to save the very people that mocked and rejected Him. 

It may seem a far stretch to go from talking about a dog that helped bring a family peace in a time of sorrow to talking about the Savior of the universe. But the Lord is good at all times. In times of sorrow and in times of great happiness. He knows what we need and provides it... even when it doesn't make sense to us. 

It's three years later and our family has grown. 2 dogs, a bunny, and two children. 

We couldn't be more happy. Or tired. 

I'm hugging Titus a little tighter today.