I surrender all.

First, I'd like to state that I NEVER thought I would be one of these people, but somehow, someway, unconditional love snuck up on me.

My dog (that's all I have to say and I bet you know where I'm going with this). My psychotic, spastic, underwear eating, wallet demolishing, shoe chewing, and glove eating dog has done it again. This time, she hasn't ruined anything (not even the frozen chicken on the counter, although she's done that in the past). No, this time my dog has taught me something completely different - agape love. Growing up I was surrounded with animals, none of which were my own but belonged to the farm. I dealt with death often, heck, the cattle we raised were to be slaughtered. Anyway, I never attached my emotions to an animal, in fact, I often laughed at those clients my dad had that wanted to spend the extra $200 bucks for the surgery that MIGHT keep them alive. I gawked at those that dropped the extra cash to have my dad see them after hours when he clearly stated they would be okay till the morning. But now, now my friends, things have changed. I never thought I would allow myself to attach emotions to animals, why would I; I mean, they're just animals....right? They don't reason, they have no insight, mine has POOR problem solving, they're a pest, they take up a lot of time, they have too much energy, they are expensive, and they stink. Especially after a day of swimming. They're just animals, right? Welllllllll, within these past 2 1/2 years my dog has seen me cry, laugh, get married (get a brother!), finish graduate school, and move to Colorado. All of this while never leaving my side. Dogs completely rely on their owners to be responsible and trust willingly on a human being to provide every need. And if that doesn't relate to a relationship with Christ, I don't know what does. In addition, it made me think about how much I truly love my dog, despite those hideous cons mentioned above. You can't get mad at a dog when they do wrong, it does no good. Its best just to let life roll on. It's that agape love that a dog has for their owner and visa versa that has me baffled and concluded I've become one of those people that would go the extra mile for their, gasp, pet. How did I get here? Is this healthy? I've tried to cut the apron strings, but how do you get rid of that gut reaction when your husband calls you to say that your dog has run off, again. So, I guess my conclusion remains, my dog has successfully taught me how to love without condition. Neat.

ALSO! I have finally settled into my job and feel comfortable with the forms, evals, co-workers, doctors and building. Only to have to be transfered to another building in Aurora for half days this week. Boo. Anyway....I'll leave you with a picture of my adorable Chaco. Love Wins!