It is very quiet here as I write this. That wasn’t the case for most of the afternoon. My daughter had brought her four dogs over to my house. This was in addition to my two. For a few hours then the house was full of noise. There was running, barking, growling, and general furry roughhousing. Toys were chased after, laps were leaped on, and faces were licked. Doggie treats were devoured, heads were petted, and bellies were rubbed. Now that they have throughly worn themselves out, all six dogs are napping peacefully and the cat has finally come out of hiding again.

I have had dogs as my companions for almost all of my life here. They have given me a devotion, loyalty, and friendship that no amount of money could ever buy. Of course, they have had their flaws too. Their breath hasn’t always been the best. Nor has their body odors. They have gone to the bathroom on my floor and thrown up on my bed. They have woken me up far too early, far too often. Their sudden barking has made my ears ring and my heart rate jump. They have stolen my covers and slept on my pillows. They have covered my clothes and carpets in fur. They have chewed up my shoes and sometimes my furniture. And I have seen them eat things that I won’t dare describe here. Still, I have loved them all unconditionally. Why? Because they have all loved me unconditionally.

In this quiet moment with them all napping around me, I can’t help but reflect too on what this world would be like if we all loved each other as unconditionally as our dogs love us. Would there be an end to war, hunger, hate, and fear? Would we try only to help each other and not hurt each other? Would we at last create the world that our Heavenly Father always wanted us to? I pray that one day with our dogs’ help we will finally find out.