“Dancing Free”

One of my most favorite stories is about my first dog, Daisy Mae. When my husband was very busy with medical school, I really wanted a dog to keep me company. Our apartment was a two-family house and quite large. The landlord had a dog, and he would allow us to have one if we wanted. We had our two cats, which were great, but I wanted a dog. One day, I was impulsive and went to the humane society to look. I had always liked the Airedale breed, but I didn’t have the money to afford a purebred. Also, it’s better to save a dog. At the shelter, I saw a funny-looking Airedale shepherd cross who looked kind of sad. She was tightly curled up against the corner of her cage. They estimated that she was about five months old. They took her out for me to visit with her. She seemed sweet but very afraid. I needed to think it over and talk to my husband.
That night, we went to the movies with another friend, and I told Michael about the dog. I said I was thinking about getting her, but she was kind of funny looking. The movie had not started yet. The woman in front of me was a large person of color. She turned around and said, “I’ve been listening to you talk. I can’t believe what I hear! I’m ugly, but I’m nice. I had a cat. He was the ugliest cat you ever saw, but he was the greatest cat I ever had. You go back to that shelter and get that dog. She’s going to be the best dog you ever had.”
We all just looked at her, and then she turned around and the movie started. Wow! I felt like God spoke directly to me through one of His angels. So, I did exactly what she told me, and she was right. Daisy Mae was a great dog. Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting. Ralph Waldo Emerson