I used to think that I became an observer of dogs by accident, but now I think that it was definitely by design.  My husband Dennis and I used to tell people that we weren't "dog people" not because we didn't like dogs, but the commitment never seemed to fit into our lifestyle.  As everyone knows, the work of a pastor and his wife is pretty much a 24/7 calling, and so is being a "pet parent"!

     Cosmo first came into our lives when our son Joe gave him to his fiance Anna as a special birthday gift. When Anna's living arrangements changed and she could no longer keep Cosmo, he came to live with us.  It didn't take us long at all to fall completely in love with him!  Soon, during the daily routine of caring for Cosmo, I began to notice parallels between my relationship with Cosmo as his master, and my own relationship with God as my Master.  You know like when I would be walking him and he would pull on the leash wanting to go his own direction even though I was the one with the plan.....I knew the direction we needed to go.  That sounded so familiar to me in light of my own stubborness to God's leading at times.  These observations became a daily devotional book called, "31 Spiritual Lessons I Learned From My Dog". 

     Once the book was finished, we decided to really make it an adventure and publish it ourselves!  We formed our own business, Front Porch Resources to publish and market the book.  The company is named for my favorite place to go in the morning with my coffee, my Bible, and of course Cosmo! I have to give Dennis credit for doing all the leg/brain work to figure out how to actually publish a book....I was mainly the pencil pusher!  We worked step by step and before long the exciting day arrived when we went to the printer to pick up the boxes of books.  It's hard to describe what that moment felt like...to finally hold in my hands what I had poured myself into for months...I guess it felt a little like holding a new baby...the final result of joy from a sometimes difficult and challenging process. It was so wonderful to see the book all finished and realize how amazing it is that God wants to reveal Himself to us so badly that He will use anything to do that, even a small, brown dog. 

     It's funny to look back at all the locations and circumstances in which I worked on the book.  I did a lot of work on it in the Black Mountain, North Carolina area, a favorite vacation spot of ours. I always carried my yellow pad with me wherever I went and I would write while I was waiting for an appointment time.  Some of the lessons I learned were funny and I still laugh each time I read them, some were painful lessons I hope I do not have to repeat.

     It's amazing to see all of the states and even places around the world where "31 Spiritual Lessons I Learned From My Dog" has already gone.  We have already shipped copies to  people in: Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Mississippi, California, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and Michigan.  We know copies went back to the Philippines with missionaries who were going to share them, and we heard that a copy was being sent to a soldier in Iraq who was going to share it with his friends there as well. We are so excited and humbled to be able to have a small part in spreading His Word through this devotional book.

     A few years ago I had a friend who was an amazing artist.  She painted with such beauty, precision, and vivid use of color.  I marveled at her ability to put what she observed on the canvas and make it so real that you just wanted to reach out and touch it. I commented to her that I would love to be able to paint like she could.  She leaned in and almost whispered, " But you do.....you paint with words!".  I have never forgotten that encouragement.  I will carry it with me always.