All Because Of Grace: Doggy Redemption

BEFORE photo of our puppy, Caroline - approx. 10 weeks old

Wow - what a flashback I had when I saw this photo; it instantly brought tears to my eyes. This is a picture of our puppy, Caroline, who is now almost two years old. Her story is the COVER STORY on the Paws of Marion website...and our story of adoption is featured there, too! Caroline was found with her littermates - abandoned down South. She suffered from Mange that was treated with a medicine which caused her to lose almost all her fur and develop sores over most of her body (especially her head/face); she survived abandonment, Demodex, Parvo (a highly fatal illness that attacks dogs digestive systems), separation from her mom and litter, and she was badly in need of food and medical attention for several other issues. Despite all the odds against her, she is the picture of health today, and she is possibly the most loving creature on God's Green Earth, truly.

Caroline's is a story of redemption...a story of GRACE. I'm not talking about Tim and myself - I'm talking about the people who stood by her through the worst times when she looked so sad and sickly on the outside. Caroline won the heart of many people on her trek from Arkansas to Maine, and now she owns a piece of our hearts, too. Thank you, Paws of Marion in Arkansas, for her initial rescue and for saving her life. Thank you Lucky Pup Rescue of Maine - for giving Caroline the second chance she needed. Thank you, Sherry Moody and family (Caroline's foster family in Maine), for reminding me tonight of all our little girl has been through in her short time on earth - and for seeing beyond her physical appearance, welcoming her into your loving home, nursing her back to health, and for your continued friendship and support. Thank you to the Davies family (our neighbors), especially Kim and Casey, who lovingly take Caroline and Griffin into their home for doggy-daycare nearly every day; they treat our pups as if they were their own - along with all the other dogs they have fostered through Lucky Pup Rescue. Thank you, Caroline, for being a demonstration of unconditional love to our entire family (especially Stella)...even on the days when I don't feel I have much to give you, you always have more love to give me than I know what to do with. Thank you, God, for this picture of unconditional love which reminds me of how you love us...thank you for seeing through our spiritual leprosy and making us whole in your love through your Son, Jesus; I'm grateful for the opportunity to love others in this way...even our four-legged friends!

What a difference love makes - to all of God's creatures: