Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend...

... inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. (Groucho Marx)

I've been meaning to post this train of thought for a while, but my internet time is very few and far between. Translation: internet is for directly connecting to people through emails and such, and blogging is secondary. Never matter, I shall divulge my inner musings now...

About a month ago, I was waiting for my older sister to get ready for church (the single's ward here starts at 1pm, and my older sister likes to wake up at the wee hour of 11:45am... tragic, I know). Anyway, I abated my boredom by taking up the time with my usual associates in this household: my 1 year old golden retriever, Willow. Technically, Willow's still a puppy, but she is also technically fricken' huge. That's the technical term... However, she still acts as if she's the size of our Lhasa Apso, Ralph, which translates over to her inability to eat anything unless you're there encouraging her to do so. Perhaps she's merely spoiled, but that doesn't matter. Anyway, I was there, about an hour before church, sitting next to Willow's food while she leaned up next to me and ate her food.

I realized that despite her physical appearance, she was very much a puppy. A child, if you will. Suddenly, I got it. We are all children of God. Spiritual Puppies. Even though we look like fully matured human beings, we are no different from my Willow Pillow. Just as she is dependent on her human masters to survive and be happy, we are ultimately dependent on the Master. He sets out our nourishment, and it is up to us whether we want to partake and live, or refuse and waste away until life ceases to offer us its wonders. We're often told to become like a child in the gospel-humble, submissive and teachable -- but sometimes it's hard to imagine just how much we really are. It's kind of like being told to act our age, really. Stop pretending that we hold all of the answers, solutions, and know-how when it comes to life, and realize that in order to really survive we must rely on our Lord & Savior, and trust in Him like puppies to their masters...