A little over four years ago Yoda joined the family. If I’m honest with myself and with you, I will tell you that we got him because Ben, our youngest son, was nearing the end of his sophomore year in high school. I knew that he would be graduating in two short years and I was beginning to fear the feeling of an empty nest. So, when a fellow teacher advertised her puppies on the “classified” board for our school district, I convinced Mr. Gorgeous that we needed a puppy. When Yoda came to us, his name was actually Tipsy. Phillip, our second son, informed us that his name had to be changed immediately. His justification for this was that a puppy named for a level of inebriation could NOT live in a parsonage. We looked at “Tipsy’s” ears, and Yoda became the obvious choice.

Yoda joined the family in April and in July our nephew, Christopher, lost his battle with some severe health issues. With the exception of a baby that we lost years ago, a niece and a nephew both of whom died as infants, we had not lost anyone in the younger generations in our families.  Chris was an usher and rang the church bells at our wedding. Nate, our oldest son, and Chris were close. As you can imagine, our entire family was devastated. Overwhelmed, we began planning a trip to Iowa. Work schedules were adjusted, a van was borrowed from my dad, and our travel arrangements were made. We had one problem — Yoda. We discussed and discussed and finally decided to take the puppy with us. And we did.

All the way to Iowa the van was quiet. We were all lost in our own thoughts, in our memories of Chris. Yoda sensed our sorrow and tried to ease our pain. He went from lap to lap. Sitting with each person for a time, he would help us balance our emotions. Then he would crawl back into his carrier and sleep. I know, I know, he’s a dog — a chihuahua; he likes to be held. Even so, Yoda provided a way for each of us to process our grief and face the sense of loss.

If you are a pet lover, you will understand that in many ways, pets are simply family members. In fact, we have a sign in the kitchen that says, “Dogs are just children with fur.” It’s true — at our house anyway. Yoda is spoiled. He, of course, thinks he’s in charge of our home — maybe he is, a little bit anyway. I started this post because John and I had to run to Walmart and when we got home Yoda did what he always does — he made us feel like his whole day was better because we were home with him. If Yoda acts like this when we come home, can you imagine how our Heavenly Father feels when one of His children comes home? Luke 15:7 (NIV) tells us, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”