Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog & the Woman She Rescued by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher Read Free Book Online Page A

the process of healing, of growing beyond our shortcomings, that shapes who we can become. We each get to choose whether our hardships will ruin us—or refine us.
    “Other than Christ, nobody’s born perfect. Nobody gets everything right the first time. If we so choose, it is our scruffy, damaged-ness that can teach us so much. I’m able to think of little else that can drive us more quickly to a place of perseverance, forgiveness, and compassion. Honestly, as unpleasant as our weak and rough places are, they all can be used to teach us the antithesis of the very issues we struggle with.”
    Laurie’s intent expression encouraged me to go on.
    “For instance, growing through a time of unbearable stress can help you understand the true value of peace. By choosing to work through resentment and an unwillingness to forgive, we can learn a greater depth of forgiveness and love. Does that make sense?”
    Laurie nodded in agreement.
    “Girl, every hardship we face is an opportunity to either break down or break through. We choose the outcome. For each difficulty we struggle with, we decide if it will make us weaker or stronger.”
    Laurie spoke in earnest. “Because the relationship between Mia and me is safe and forgiving, I’m learning how to genuinely love. Unlike the love I had previously known in all my failed relationships, I’m discovering that real love has roots.”
    Her eyes brightened, and she set aside her stew bowl. “Day after day, my dog is showing me that nothing can grow without roots, including love.” With one hand covering her heart and the other in a palm-up position, she began to recall the insights she was learning from her dog. “She shows me how honest love is like a tree; it stands firm and it perseveres through storms.”
    “How did you learn that from Mia?” I asked.
    “Well, in the beginning, Mia ran away because she didn’t really know me. But, as we built a relationship founded on trust, everything changed. No matter how late I get home, Mia’s always thrilled to see me and greets me with joy. She’s not unhappy when I’m exhausted and irritable; she still wants to lick my face. No matter how frustrated I might be with her, she looks beyond my shortcomings and accepts me right where I am.”
    In mouth-full-of-stew agreement, I pointed at Laurie with my spoon and nodded. She grinned and waited for me to swallow. “You’re so right about real love having roots,” I said. “Anything that lasts can’t do so without having a solid base. Real love doesn’t focus on another’s faults; it reaches past that topsoiland sends down roots into what’s real. When we do this with each other, we imitate the same strong support redwood trees give each other. Being from California, you’ve surely seen the redwood groves there.”
    Every hardship we face is an opportunity to either break down or break through
.
    “I have. They’re incredible.”
    “Then you’ve noticed how they never grow alone. As tall as they are, if they stood alone, even minor winds would blow them over. Instead, they always grow in groves so they can intertwine their roots and anchor each other. By doing so, they literally hold each other up during violent storms. Genuine love does that; its roots reach beyond superficiality and entwine the very heart, soul, and essence of who we are one to another. In a very simple way, your dog has done this.”
    Understanding lit up Laurie’s face. “Yes! Because of that, I no longer view my recovering dog as a homely creature that deserves my pity because she was rejected. Instead, I see her through a heart that is being changed by authentic love. I think it’s because of her honest love for me that I no longer notice her imperfections. In my eyes she has become beautiful.”
    Laurie’s words came quickly, energized by her rising enthusiasm.
    “Although her outside has changed very little, my inside is being completely renewed. Mia isn’t lovely because she has been