This is Sheriff Brickle. It’s been said, because I have said it, that every day is a gift. It’s also been said that I am the most handsome dog in the world, but that is not the point, but yet, always is.

Girl Person says that every day, every single day, no matter what the calendar says, Deputy Digby and I teach her what is important. She says that every day, we give her a gift. She says that every day, we tell her a story, yet we don’t know it.  Its called The Story Of Us. The story starts with our noses.

Our noses know. Our noses have smelled that. All the that beneath your feet that you step over, that you step on and that you don’t pay attention to.  Our noses know the smell of dinner before you even start thinking about it.  Our noses know your smell, your special smell that makes you you.  Our noses know the smell of danger, the smell of love, the smell of a new day, which is the smell of hope.

The middle of the story is in our tails.

Deputy Digby and I are as different as different can be if different lived on another planet.

But our tails have been there, done that.  Our tails have been alert to strangers, alert to those pesky squirrels and alert to protecting you.  Our tails have kept us in balance and kept us strong.  Our tails have wagged when we have seen you, coming home, if you were only gone for a minute.  Our tails have bent down in defeat when we see you cry or upset.  Our tails have proved that our beauty is found in the simplest detail.

The next story is our ears.  Yes, our ears.

You may not think that we hear the negative things, the things that we shouldn’t hear.  But we do.  We want you to know that only so that you try to listen for the happy things in life.  Like the birds, the sound of frying pancakes, the sound of laughter. We want you to hear the happy barks, the protective barks, all the barks. Because one day you will want to hear that.  Don’t tune out life. Don’t tune out the small sounds. And don’t listen to others who say you aren’t good enough. Listen to your dog.  Oh, you are.

The end of the chapter, but not the end of the story yet, is that all of us, every little strand of fur on your dog is put together for you.  You see, the small stuff makes up the big stuff, the important stuff.  You may think that you don’t matter, but you allow us to have a story to tell.  You notice us.  You love us. And for that…that…is the big picture.  You may think that you have lost yourself, but we know you are still in there.  You may have had a bad year, or you may think you aren’t worth much.  You may be feeling lonely, you may be feeling like life is too hard.  Where are you? OH, we see you.  But do YOU see you?

Sometimes, at the end of each year, we can start to feel like we didn’t do much at all.  I grew a few more grey hairs.  Digby smells a little worse.  But a calendar is just a calendar.  Dogs don’t know what a calendar is. The sun doesn’t know, the moon doesn’t know.  So stop trying to live up to a big novel you think you should have written by now.  The short stories, like your dog, are right in front of you.

You are you.  You are your dog’s home. We don’t want to be anywhere else but with you.

If you have put down the book of living life because you are waiting to read a bigger one, remember this.  Every chapter is important, even in the small books. The small stuff makes up the big stuff that makes the good stuff.  Every day is that gift.  Pick it up. Read it.

-Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle

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