“Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?”

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all of your heart,

With all of your soul and with all of your mind.

This is the first and greatest commandment.

‘And the second is like it.

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Matthew 22: 36-40 (NIV)

 

What I Learned from My Golden Retriever, Tracker

 


            Recently a friend and I were talking, and decided that being acknowledged, or accepted, is a universal need. The conversation reminded me of a couple of incidents with my housemate years ago, Tracker, a 95-lb. Golden Retriever.

            Daily my next-door neighbor and I would sit out in the back while I threw the ball for Tracker and her little girl, Tracker’s age, would play. One day we turned all of our attention to the child as she and Tracker stood in front of our chairs. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw Tracker swish his rear end and knock Christina down. What he did was so quick and subtle that had I not been looking, the swishing of the rear would have been missed. Now, Tracker loved Christina, and would not have purposely hurt her, but he wasn’t getting any attention and being left out hurt, even though he was just a dog.

            This remembrance brought to mind a conversation where a friend lamented.

             I’m in this group that meets weekly and I’m bothered that the leader never acknowledges me when he’s talking. He’ll look at everyone except for me. There’s never been an incident between the two of us, so I don’t understand.

            Thought: These two stories remind me that we all have the need for recognition and acknowledgement or acceptance.

            I started asking myself how do we get into deciding to reject others? This reminded me of a couple of more stories:

            Tracker had just had his first hair cut—a buzz. He looked so different that I started laughing as did some others. After all, he’s just a dog and doesn’t understand we’re laughing at him. Yes, he was just a dog, but he realized something was different and all but hid out the next two weeks. During that time a friend commented that Tracker looked miserable.

            Several years ago at a dinner party, three of us had a lively conversation going, but I became aware we were ignoring the person across the table. My momentary thought was I am enjoying myself, let him take care of himself. Thankfully, good manners, thank you Mother, took over and I brought him into the group. That was a special occasion and the memories are sweeter knowing that no one felt left out.

            Thought: We can never rationalize not acknowledging or accepting another with the thought he/she’s “just a”. “Just a” is when I think; I don’t have to acknowledge that person because he/she is—socially inadequate, doesn’t live in the right zip code, is no help to me, I’m having too much fun to worry about him/her—you get the picture.

            With Tracker there was no such thing as “just a”; he had the confidence to love us all.

           


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