Some of you have heard this story. Sorry for the repeat.  For those of you who haven't, this is how it happened.

In the year 2000, my father and I were both on the ballot.  He was running for the Montana House of Representatives.  I was running for election to the Ohio House of Representatives.  It was at about this time our young (ages, 6 and 7) daughters made it clear they wanted a puppy.  Thinking how clever we were as parents, Melissa and I struck a bargain with our two little girls.  The deal was this.  If their grandfather and their father both won their elections, we would find them a puppy.  If one of us lost, the puppy search would have to wait.  Melissa and I thought the odds were against both grandpa and dad winning.  We smiled to ourselves.

Well, we both won our elections (let the record reflect grandpa had the higher percentage of votes, I had the larger number of votes).  So, true to our word, we settled on a day we would go to the designated kennel to select a puppy for the girls (they had previously let us know they wanted a chocolate or black lab).  The appointed hour came and the girls hurried home to clean up for the trip to the kennel.

Well, what happened next will always be an important part of our family history.  As the girls approached the front porch, what do you think awaited them?  Much to our surprise, on the front porch was a little Australian Shepherd puppy. She had no dog tag.  No identification of any kind.  She was lost.  We welcomed the pup inside our home and in the days which followed made every attempt we could to find the puppy's owner - all to no avail.

This little lost puppy had found a new home.  I think she was intent on adopting us as her new family, not the other way around.  Today, she is not as quick as she used to be.  She's gained a few pounds.  She has quite a few more gray hairs.  What a joy she has been for the past 12 years.  It is hard to imagine life without her.  I know you each have your own story of connection with the animal members of your family.  I can't wait to see many of them on Sunday when we will ask for God's blessing upon our relationships with our animal friends.

In Christ,