Bella was such a sweet little golden Labrador puppy when she first came to our house. But she barely fit in the woven basket she arrived in, and she was already bigger than our full-grown bichon poodles.
Never mind, our much smaller momma poodle bossed Bella around and favored her own child like the stepmother in the Cinderella tale. So that is why I called sweet Bella “Cinderbella.” She has always been so noble and patient.
She’s friendly, too, running to greet every dog-lover who passes by. Somehow she knows when someone needs company and when they need to give her a belly rub as much as she loves getting one.
She seems happiest at my son’s house because she chose him as her “top dog” from the first. There she has the run of a huge back yard and the fun of romping in the nearby waterfalls. She loves to play fetch, always bringing balls to anyone who looks like they might throw one for her.
She plays with my grandchildren like another kid, rolling around on the floor and chasing after toys. Her tail wags happily at the sound of their voices. She curls up at my son’s feet at night.
She has been my husband’s faithful companion on walks to the park and my daughter’s jogging pal. She loves the family who took her in the summers for us too, and she always played happily with their big old dog Soccer. Boy, did she tire him out.
One day last week Bella went out in the yard and came back limping. The vet says she probably tore a ligament in her knee. Maybe she slipped on ice. We’ll wait and see if she needs an operation.
I can’t imagine her not running and leaping with joy. I can’t imagine her not chasing a ball, in the lake or on land.
This holiday season we need to think of those innocent souls who are having a hard time like Bella and can’t really understand why. Like the sparrows in the snow, God remembers them too.