My Best Friend

When I think of a best friend, I think of someone that will always be there no matter what! It doesn't matter how I act or what I say, if we're really great friends then we'll forgive each other when we mess things up. We can overlook each others mistakes and we understand that there is nothing going to come between us and our friendship. I have a friend like this in my life. His name is Clyde. We've known each other now for over 7 years. I hate to say it but Clyde has been a better friend to me than I've ever been to him. He seems to be the one that forgives so easily when I take our friendship for granted. Don't get me wrong he knows that I love and care for him just as he does for me, but with him it's different. It's like, well it's like, he loves me unconditionally no matter what I do. Do you have a friend like this? I mean I have several friends and some that I would call very good friends, but to qualify as a best friend, well that means that to me Clyde treats me in such a way that my day is always better when I'm around him. When we hang out together, I'm happy. Now that's how friends should be.

This week he died suddenly. The night he passed away was a terrible night for my wife and I. We gave him a ride to the hospital when we found out he was so sick. He was having a very difficult time breathing and he was having pains in his chest. When we got to the hospital, the doctor quickly did some tests and then came out to give my wife and I the bad news. He apparently had a Tumor in his lungs that suddenly ruptured and began bleeding. Clyde's lungs we're filling up with blood. The reality was, he wasn't going to make it! I lost my best friend that night.

I just wanted to thank God for the time we had together. Clyde was our pet. He was the best dog anyone could ever want. Great with the kids, and oh what a never ending love he had for us. He greeted me every day without fail when I'd come home from work. He'd see me off to work every single morning when I left the house. If I was outside, Clyde was there with me. There was no other place that Clyde wanted to be than right there with his family. My wife, my children (adults now), all miss Clyde so much. There's such a void in my life that Clyde filled in a way I never realized until he was gone. What a friend I had in Clyde.

The good news... I still have a friend, a best friend. A friend that loves me more than I can imagine. A friend that wants to spend more time with me than I can comprehend. I have a friend that will never leave me or let me down. Talk about unconditional love. My friend has an unconditional love for me. Again, it doesn't matter what I say or how I act, he always forgives me. As with Clyde I must say that he's been a better friend to me than I've ever been to him, but even so, he still loves me. You know who this friend is I'm talking about. It's Jesus! As the song says... "What a Friend I Have in Jesus."

You know what's sad though, and I don't say this to hurt my other friends feelings, because I'm the same way myself with my friends. The sad thing is... The closest model of Jesus Friendship and love comes from my dog. My dog reminds me of Christ love more than any human being I know, including myself. If you have a pet, then you know what I mean. Do you think God gave us these wonderful animals like cats and dogs so that we can actually see unconditional love in action, day after day after day? Forgiveness in action, day after day after day? I don't know? But this I do know, Clyde was a good friend, and I thank God for him.

Steve