It was a cool summer evening that followed a hot August day. My husband and I were relishing the break in the heat, sitting on our porch, reading and enjoying occasional sips of iced tea. Suddenly, a stranger stepped on the porch. We were trapped. There was no exit but the steps where the stranger stood. My husband, not a dog person, was suspicious, and I instinctively cringed. It didn’t take long to discover the stranger was harmless. I hand-fed him treats to gain his confidence before gingerly checking the tags dangling in his long, black fur. The only information I gleaned from the tags was the office number for a vet’s office. Although it was after-hours I called. The answering service suggested I lock him in our garage until morning. We had planned on attending a meeting that evening. Monte left and I remained home taking care of our guest, who looked up at me adoringly and made himself at home. While petting him, I thought about my animal-loving neighbor who had broken relationship with me for unknown reasons. I knew a bridge needed mending. The gentle, deep black eyes of the dog clued me in on a way to mend the bridge. I knocked on her door and was greeted with silence. Regardless, I spoke my message, telling her about the dog and inviting her to my front porch to meet the canine guest. Unable to resist, she accepted the invitation. The dog’s eyes and his situation of being stranded and lost unnerved her enough to form a healing bridge She was now unable to maintain her "disagreement." Love between this creature and my crotchety old neighbor reflected back on the relationship we’d developed since I’d moved to town, and we were pals once again. As I settled in my chair to watch the now peacefully sleeping dog, a Scripture I’d recently read came to mind: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2, KJV) A short while later a woman came to my porch. "I heard my dog was here," she said. "We were away and he got out." "He's been a marvelous guest," I told her. "We truly enjoyed his visit." She turned to me as they left and said, "You are truly an angel." I silently disagreed. It wasn’t me who was the angel. It was a mutt with long black fur and a nature designed to build healing bridges. To read another story on the love of a dog click on A Dog for All Seasons Then visit the Beanery Online Literary Magazine at www.ProBlogs.com/beanerywriters and check the INDEX category to find stories to your liking. | 
