Beautiful

Beautiful
When you lose someone you love, the depth of the pain you feel can only be measured by the depth of your love. Her name means, “beautiful.” And she was. Her beauty was a reflection of all the love she had on the inside. She loved taking walks. She loved swimming. She loved mealtime. She loved doing things with the family. She loved playing Frisbee. She loved chasing sticks. She loved naptime. She loved carrots. Most of all, she loved people. Callie loved everyone and everyone loved Callie. She taught us about love every day of her 8 1/2 years on Earth.

Saying Goodbye
Saying, “Goodbye,” to Callie was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was the day before Easter and I spent the last two hours Callie was in our home sitting on the floor of my office with her head in my lap or just setting beside her stroking her head and telling her that everything would be okay. When Callie was happy, she had a way of smiling with her eyes. But this day was different. There was sadness in her eyes. The pictures I took that morning were the last images I have of Callie, but that is not the way I’ll remember her.

Living in the Moment
Callie always lived in the moment. That’s the great thing about dogs. They don’t worry about the future or the past. They live fully in the now.  Callie enjoyed the moment. Whether it was playing Frisbee in the back yard or wolfing down an ice cream cone that one of the kids held a little too close. She immersed herself in what was happening. Total abandonment. Unbridled joy. Not a care in the world. She was free to give and receive love. Without condition or expectation, Callie simply loved.

“The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.”
– M.K. Clinton (author)

Learning to Love
When you entered a room, Callie would always greet you with a great deal of enthusiasm. This affection was expressed via her tail, which wagged with lethal force. Unsecured objects would become collateral damage in the wake of a tsunami of love. I’ve learned more about unconditional love from spending time with Callie than from all the sermons and messages I’ve heard in my lifetime. I think that’s because love must be experienced to be real. When you’re with someone you love you feel secure. You don’t worry about doing something dumb because it doesn’t matter. You can just be yourself and you know you’ll be loved. Period. There’s an amazing freedom that comes with unconditional love.

The Strongest Force
Love is the strongest force in the universe. It compels people to extraordinary acts of valor and heroism. It moves men and women to pursue great causes and willingly sacrifice themselves. Love is what fills the heart of God and motivates everything he does. Jesus came to Earth as a flesh and blood person to demonstrate what loves looks like and how far love will go to set people free. Love and relationship was Jesus’ mission. When I reflect on Callie’s life I can’t help but think that love was her mission, too.

Here are some final thoughts I spoke over Callie the day she left us:
“A friend loves at all times…and love is stronger than death”

Loved Her Job
When Callie first came into our lives she was lovable puppy whom you could snuggle with one arm. Even though she grew to 80 pounds I’m not sure she understood that she was all grown up. She was still the same lovable girl who joined our family and captured our hearts. Callie didn’t need a mission statement to guide her life. She knew why God placed her in our lives. Her calling was to live a life of love and loyalty. She lived to bring joy and companionship into our lives. She loved her job and she was really good at it.

Callie’s Legacy
When you spent time with Callie two things usually happened. You came away feeling better and you knew you were loved. What more can you ask from a friend? The day after I said goodbye I spent some time pulling photos of Callie from my laptop. I put together a slide show of highlights from Callie’s life with our family. When I sat down to watch all those memories I was overcome with emotion, but at same time I was filled with gratitude. Callie lived up to her name. She truly was beautiful. I wanted to share her story because I hope we can all be more beautiful.

“You’ve got to get up every morning
With a smile in your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You’re gonna find, yes you will
That you’re beautiful, as you feel”

‘Beautiful’ by Carole King