The Ultimate Peace

For Christmas my boss got me the book “Izzy & Lenore. Two Dogs, an Unexpected Journey, and me.” I was a bit confused. I know he knows I like to read but why would he get me a book about dogs? I’m not one of those fanatical dog people. I don’t even live with one anymore. But, I trust my boss’ opinion and so the book went into queue (aka the bookshelf until I finished the books I was already reading). Well, it’s April and the book is off the shelf and in my hands. I’m not very far in but already I know that I love the book. First, it’s written in upstate NY. Not Rochester upstate, outside of Albany upstate. Second, it’s about life and relationships. The relationships just happen to be involving dogs.

Okay, to the point. 

Today I was reading and part of the book jumped off the pages and streamed right into the center of my heart. So I thought I’d share.

“I saw him close his eyes. (The dog, Izzy). If he were a cat he might have purred. The contact, the place, the moment seemed to bring him such pleasure, as if this were precisely what he’d been waiting for behind his fence all those years. He plopped his head into my lap and simply calmed down. It was almost as if he’d decided he was safe, that he understood life here, grasped the simple rules, and was now willing to abide on the farm in peace…He simply became my dog.” – Jon Katz

After reading this paragraph I simply closed my eyes, took a deep breath and enjoyed the moment. My moment. God was speaking straight to my heart through the words about a dog. The way Izzy felt and acted (that changed his life and Jon’s) is the same way I feel when I’m in God’s presence. That peace. That calm. That knowing that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. The safety of your father/your owner watching over you. Knowing and understanding the rules He has created so that you become who you’re supposed to be. The rules that will guide you into safety.