As Always

     In one of the most well known stories in the Bible, Delilah lulls Samson to sleep on her lap and shaves off his hair, which is the source of his strength.  When the Philistines come to capture him, Samson tries to shake them off as he always had before.  Since he was asleep at the witch, so to speak, at the time his hair was shaved, he didn't know that his strength had left him.  I think about that story as I watch Garth, our 14 year old lab cross, trying to do the things he always did, not knowing his strength has left him. His hind legs quiver as he stands, his gimpy walk makes you think he needs a cane, chewing a bone can make him pant with exertion.  And yet. . .
    He expects to go on our morning walk to the island, as always, run around to sniff and pee in all the usual spots, as always, and walk ahead of me on the way home, as always.  No matter how slowly I walk, the exertion of as always leaves him panting and trembling after we return and, by evening, barely able to get his hips off the floor. In order to preserve both his strength and ego, I have shortened our morning walk to just to the river and back.  When my nephew and I want to take a longer walk, we take Garth on a decoy walk first, so he won't feel left out.
    When I am doing chores at home, Garth follows me from room to room in faithful lab fashion, unless I go to the basement.  He no longer has the strength to go either up or down the stairs.  Yesterday I was downstairs in the family room visiting with my daughter when I saw a shadow hesitating near the top of the stairs.  Since she has two stairs-impaired dogs, I thought one of them was debating whether our company was worth the effort of the climb down.  When I looked up and saw Garth's black legs on the second step, my heart went to my throat.  I ran to the stairs, turned him around, and lifted his hips so he could get back to the main floor.   Willing to use up his limited strength and risk a fall just to be near me.  Devoted, as always. 
     There are many lessons in this, the frailties of old age, the strength of devotion,  the importance of being near the ones we love, and that human males are not the only species to get set in their ways.  If I could love God with the the tenacity of a dog, I would be a better person.

          And when my strength has gone,
          may my heart carry on 
          dogged as the dawn,
                                         as always.