A Tribute to Samson

It rained the day Samson died.

Born from a litter of nine pups, Samson stole our hearts immediately. To be such a big, strong animal, he startled and ran at the slightest intimidation. But he had a big bark, and I loved that bark on the long, dark nights when Paul was gone with work.

Samson was a lover for sure--hogging all the petting and love we had to give, often pushing his mom, Lil' Ann, out of the way to get it. :-)

I really miss seeing him playing around the yard with his mom or the click of his nails on the tile when we'd bring him inside to play.

Losing Samson so suddenly has awakened me to several realities about life and health.

One, we never truly know how much time we have with our loved ones. It is so important to make the most of the moments we have. Those moments are a gift. I have replayed Samson's last hours many times in my mind and wish I would have lived them more tenderly, more meaningfully. I don't want to regret anything with my family members.

And two, I've realized that if we did live with that awareness that any one of us could be gone in a breath, we would live life a lot differently. We would live more peacefully with one another and a lot less selfishly. We would live more powerfully and make a difference on this earth for good. And we would live more joyfully with one another, delighting in the good only.

I have also realized that no matter how careful we try to be with caring for our health, the results are ultimately in the Lord's hands alone. And I'm good with that now. For years I struggled with pride in the area of health. The choices I made to eat this or not eat that or take this supplement or that herb distanced me from the people I loved so much because I allowed myself to care for my family's health for my own glory rather than God's.

But I know now that God takes good care of His stuff and if He loves my children more than even I do, then He's going to do the best for them, no matter what. I completely trust that now.

Samson was such a blessing to our family and added to our joy each day. We are grateful for the time we had with him. He will hold a forever place in our hearts.

The rain of the past few days has passed and a cool front has moved through, bringing with it hope for a new day. Go hug your "baby" today--more than once.

I love this tribute Paul put together for Samson and want to share it with you here. . .