You taught us so much Roscoe:

A quick little story that needs to be shared: When I was a Jr. in high school, my mom looked at my dad and I while we were eating and said she was thinking we could get a dog.  This was literally the best news my dad and I could have ever heard.  We had been waiting for years to have a dog.  She had already been researching different breeds.  We were going to get a malshi (maltese, Shi Tzu mix) on January 26th, 2013, and my mom was going to name him Jax.  However, my dad had a new idea.  While he was looking at the same breeder’s website for dogs, he decided he wanted to get a beagle.  

When getting to the breeder, we asked to look at both the malshi and the beagle.  We fell in love with the beagle’s floppy ears and calm demeanor, while at the same time sharing equal love for the malshi’s spunk and enthusiasm.  The breeders were willing to open a deal for us, where we could buy both dogs where one dog would be half the price it was originally listed for. Instead of going home with one dog, we would have two, and those two would be brothers and playmates.  For the last twelve and a half years, we have had a beagle boy named Roscoe and Jax, our malshi.  Later, my parents would also invest in buying some vizslas.  

Roscoe, our precious beagle boy, passed away this past week on March 31st.  He had been struggling with cancer.  He fought against his cancer very strongly, but he would ultimately lose his life after a couple year struggle.  He lived a lot longer than was originally expected because of the medicine my mom found to keep him going strong, his will, and the grace of God.  There are many things I believe we as people can learn from dogs, especially kind and loving ones.  I will say personally that I think Roscoe offers up a lot of characteristics we as people need to remember for the rest of our lives. 

Characteristic #1-Always be excited for the people around you.  Dogs in general tend to get excited about their people or their owners coming home.  Our Roscoe would bark and bark, he would swish his tail back and forth, and he would wait patiently to give kisses and hugs.  The best part was when he got older, and he would whine when we came home. He would be oh so excited to see us and to feel the love.  This reminds us to be excited about the people in our lives.  There are a lot of people we need to be grateful for, especially those who have been bringing us to Christ.

Characteristic #2-Patience-Roscoe was so patient.  He was one of the most patient dogs I have ever seen.  My parents’ other two dogs are a bit needy and in the case of our Jax, the malshi, a bit mean at times.  (We love them also with our whole hearts-but they do have their quirks).  Roscoe would be so patient while the other two would jump on him trying to get attention first, and would tolerate the one aggressively growling at him when he got jealous.  There were a few occasions when he would stand up for himself and growl back, but it was so few and far in between that it hardly was noticeable.  He really could show us how to be patient and kind, even in the face of others being unkind. 

Characteristic #3-Roscoe was always excited about getting to take some time and sniff the roses.  No literally, this dog could sniff for a long time.  When he was stuck on a scent, there is no telling how long he could sit there for.  We often had to really pull him on walks to get him back to focusing on the task at hand.  It is amazing how much joy it could bring him, to have his head down sniffing the area and just appreciating what was out there.  

Characteristic #4 -Always make time for a good nap.  It is not at all possible to sleep as much as our good boy Roscoe.  He was a champ at taking naps and sleeping in.  He could sleep for hours and hours.  However, it is good to always remember when we can appreciate a good nap.  I need to be able to let myself rest and not overwork myself, which I do have a tendency to do.  I need to remember to say no and instead spend some time resting, especially when there is an opportunity to rest in the Lord.  

There is a verse I have looked at that I believe really captures how good God is, even when it comes to the gift of dogs or even in the face of grief.  James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” My family was given a great gift by our Roscoe.  He was a good boy who was such a joy to our lives for over 12 years.  We are saddened he is gone, but at the same time, we can look back at the memories we as a family have had with our boy.  

I believe we can use every life experience and learn something important from it.  We had the chance to learn from Roscoe, and I am so glad we did.  The challenge for this week is to spend some time focusing on one of the four characteristics Roscoe had.  This is either taking time to rest, taking time to smell the roses, being excited about the people around you, or being patient.  I know I could personally use some time in investing myself in all four characteristics.