Toby

    Yesterday I shared about what our family was like over 60 years ago when we were kids. My mom always wanted to have a baby girl, but God instead blessed her with 8 boys. Five of those boys are still alive today. There was another family member that was very special to all of us. He was our family dog, Toby. I don't know when or under what circumstances my dad got Toby. He was just always there.
   Toby was half collie and half another type of dog. (Steve probably knows.) There could not be a better farm dog for small boys to play with. He was as gentle as can be and loved to be around us. In fact when we were very small we took turns riding on Toby's back. He didn't mind. The only time Toby turned on me and bit me was my fault. You never fire a cap gun about an inch from a dog's ear and not expect to be bit. I learned my lesson very quickly.
   Toby was a great cattle dog. He would go with us when we had to bring the cows in for milking. His job was to help herd and keep in line the cattle, which he did faithfully.
   We would come home from school and Toby was there to welcome us. One day we came home and Toby was not there. Mom and dad told us that Toby had passed away. I am still not sure just what happened, but all I knew is that Toby was gone. For some reason that simply did not bother us. We never shed a tear, just went about business as usual.
   Dad tried to replace Toby with several other dogs, one at a time, but none of them could take his place. If I remember right, one of them was an Alaskan Husky that was big and strong. Too strong for a 10 year old boy to control. He didn't last long. If you want to know more about Toby you will have to ask my brother Steve. He is a little older than I am and can recall some of these things better.

    Hebrews 13:5 tells us of someone who will never, never, never leave us and will always be there for us. That of course is God. We don't have to worry about coming home and someone telling us that God has left us. Especially today when we go through these trying times, it is important to realize and KNOW that God will always be there for us. Mom and Dad and even our dog may forsake us - Gut God will always be there!