I hope this new story of mine reminds you to always do what you can to make this world a better place. God bless you always.

It was a hot summer’s afternoon several years ago. I was sitting at my kitchen table addressing a letter when I saw a stray dog wander into my backyard. He was a reddish mix of several breeds and was severely underweight. I could see the ribs and backbone sticking out of his skin. He looked like he hadn’t eaten anything in weeks. I walked outside and tried to call him over. He approached me shaking with fear. I spoke calmly to him and then went inside and filled a bowl with dog food and another with water. When I came back outside I set the bowls down and backed away. He smelled the food and devoured it with joy. Then he started to down the water with the same gusto. I gently reached over and petted his head for awhile. Then I went back inside to grab a leash and hopefully bring him into the house. I planned to give him a bath and then take him to the vet. But in the minute it took me to grab the leash he was gone.

I gave myself a hard time about that for a long while. I went over what I did wrong and wandered if I should have tried to leash him first and feed him second, or if I should have spent more time winning his trust before going in for the leash. In the end, though, I had to accept that the dog was gone and no amount of regret was going to bring him back.

God did teach me one thing, however, from what happened that day: “You can’t save everyone.” All you can do is your best. Sometimes the dog will run away. Sometimes the person will reject or ignore your act of kindness. But that doesn’t mean you stop loving, giving, sharing, or being kind. That is what God put us here to do.

Sometimes in this life all you get to do is give a single bowl of dog food to a stray dog, or share a single act of kindness with a stranger. But it is enough. Each act of Love is priceless in God’s eyes. And in the end all of those acts add up to make your life. Make it a beautiful one.