Modern Orientation

In my first post I touched on my son Jack, and the joy he has brought me. It isn't that he has just made me happy, I now know how to be happy. I feel as though I never had truly smiled until I laughed with him.

But I left out a very important variable when I wrote about Jack. I had not mentioned the woman who made all of this possible, my wife Sarah. Sarah is the most kind of souls. A savior of damaged animals and champion of their rights. We currently have five dogs running around our house, three of which are special needs animals. Her friends are eternal, even though she may not speak to them on a regular basis.

Sarah gets up at 6 o'clock in morning to work as a vet tech at low-cost snip clinic. Many days she will work until 5 o'clock in the evening, getting home just in time eat and fall asleep. Truthfully, she wasn't qualified for the job. Not that she couldn't be great at it, there were just more qualified candidates. But that didn't stop her. She bedazzled her interviewers, got the job, learned how to do the job and now she irreplaceable.

The good she and her co-workers perform goes unchecked in our community. By altering these animals thousands upon thousands of offspring are kept from the city streets. Many of their customers love their animals, but cannot afford veterinary care, not to mention having to feed 4 little puppies or 5 little kittens.

But, do I love her because she has diligent friends or is kind to animals? Yes. Ghandi said, the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." I believe this to be true with family and friends as well. I am far from perfect, but strive to be like her. She is my daystar and guides me through the rough times, unwavering in her guidance like the needle in a compass. I have no earthly idea where I would be right now if not for her. And this is a scary thought.

I love driving around on weekends with her and looking at the houses we could one day own. When we get home, we both give each other a look and almost simultaneously say, "But I could live here forever." Our small, critter-filled home in the suburbs, with our cluttered garage and half-finished bookcases. Where one home improvement project turns into three more. And this is a wonderful thought.

So it is her kindness, her nurturing, her glare, only I can see when I make a bad remark why I love her. Does she keep me in line? No, I keep myself in line, based upon the fact that she is my coordinates and I will be lost without her.