the dog

Live loyally today - grow - and tomorrow will attend to itself.

How does my dog know this? For little Snickers it is true, I am there for her, for the rest of our lives.

Loyalty: (1) unswerving in allegiance: constant and faithful in any relation or obligation implying trust, confidence, or care; (2) the willing bond of the self to a cause, leader, or friend.

The parental quality is that one cannot help but be loyal to what is held in faith. But faith is a fragile thing, it lives both within and without a person, and each needs the other to exist. I cannot help but think of The Oracle at Delphi, pilgrims came for two thousand years, guided by their faith. The supplicant had as valid a religious experience then as anyone has today, but the faith and the faithful both disappeared in time.

And so it goes.

What happens to the faithful servant when he reaches the top of the hill and the oracle is gone? For some, faith vanishes in an instant, for others, faith remains unshaken, and for this supplicant, there are no regrets for works of faith in the past. However when you realize that you are on a road that has no outlet it is time to consider another direction.

Be not loyal to a map that is false. The ideal of loyalty is eventually spoiled if what you are loyal to is focused on selfishness.

We are all loyal to many things, and since this is a human condition that to which we are loyal may take our talents for granted. When we realize this it is a test of faith. You do not fail the test if you must move your faith elsewhere.

When you go, your dog will follow.