Remembering Buddy a year later and what he taught us
A year ago, we said goodbye to Buddy, our tri-color Pembroke Corgi.
I am writing this week in his memory and in honor of all the dogs that have loved each of us in our childhood, youth and old age.
Buddy was a young dog when he found us, full of energy and full of confidence. He thought he could leap any barrier and outrun any rabbit. Of course, he could do neither. But that is one of the things that makes Corgis so loveable. They do not know their limits, and don’t care. They will try the impossible.
Unfortunately, the lifespan of dogs is far shorter than our own.
After 14 years, our vet told us he was in his mid-90s, in dog years. He suffered from Degenerative Myelopathy, a genetic disease similar to ALS in humans and common to Pembroke Corgis. We tried to keep him comfortable and continued to love him as he loved us until we laid Buddy down one year ago, gently and tenderly, with tears.
Along the way, he taught me a few things.
To trust
Whenever I got in my truck, he jumped in and took his place, ready to go. He didn’t know where we were going or what we were going to do. He believed that if I was driving it was OK. I need to be more like that with God. I always want to know where I am going, when I am going to get there and what I am going to do once we arrive. I need to jump in the truck with God and give him control of my life.
To be there
He didn’t care if it was at the lake running, splashing and rolling in the mud, sitting in a chair next to me on the patio or in my study lying at my feet. He just wanted to be where I was. He even followed me from room to room in the house. I need to spend time with God like that. What made the early disciples different was the fact that they lived with Jesus and spent time with Him. (Acts 4:13).
To follow
Whenever we went for a walk in an open field I let him run free. But he kept an eye on me. He developed a radius of his own, about 30 yards from wherever I was. Within that radius he felt comfortable exploring smells and marking trees. Occasionally he got out of eyesight. But when I called his name he came running. Not real fast, but as fast as he could. After all he was a Corgi. It reminded me of what Jesus said to His disciples, “Come, follow me!” “My sheep know my voice."
To be patient
He would wait on me forever. If I was writing, he would lie down, rest his head on his paws, keep one eye on me and wait. If we were walking and I stopped, he would sit down with his tongue hanging out and wait. If I went to the store in cool weather, he waited in my truck until I returned. Buddy never complained about waiting on me. He never got in a hurry. Maybe I should be more like that with respect to God and those I love. (Isaiah 40:31).
Email Bill Tinsley, who reflects on current events and life experience from a faith perspective, at bill@tinsleycenter.org. Order Buddy the Floppy Ear Corgi free eBook on Amazon through Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Remembering Buddy a year later and what he taught us
