| Sunny Side Up May 28, 2003 �2003, Kathleen Gibson Let me show you what love can do My neighbour, Bill Peasely, has a good friend in Australia, a doctor with the same name as himself. Bill the Australian leads camel and jeep expeditions into the desert. Sometimes he takes botanists to remote areas where they research native plants. On one such expedition, an abandoned, half-wild dog skulked around their campsite, appearing and disappearing like a shadow with an identity crisis. An almost fox, almost German shepherd; scrawny, limping badly, and flea-ridden. Half-dead of starvation and almost past the point of hunger. Once upon a time the creature may have been attractive. No more. The members of the team, intrigued and compassionate, fed it scraps and provided water. Soon the dog didn't slink away anymore. Its pleasant temperament was hard to ignore, and all worried about what would happen to the creature when they left the area. Eventually the group broke camp and prepared to move on. But now they had a problem. Abandoning their new friend seemed unthinkable. Outback conditions are harsh. The dog could end up as supper for a wild dingo, or it may die of starvation and thirst. A married couple volunteered to take it home. Under their care, the dog, christened Mungilli for the claypan at which he was found, became sleek and handsome, a loyal family pet. Bill loves that story. His friend sent before and after photos of the dog, and Bill carries them with him, like a proud grandpa. He shows those photos to anyone who'll stand still long enough to listen. Sometimes he phones and asks if he can come over and show me something. When I watch him approach, a determined look on his face and a sheet of paper in his hand, I know what he's up to. He begins the same way, always. First he unfolds the paper with copies of the two photos on it. His hand trembles slightly-after all, he's put in nearly eight decades now. He's forgotten, I think, that I've seen those photos a half-dozen times. Or maybe he knows I need to see them again. "Kathleen," he begins his eyes puddling just a tad. "I have a good friend in Australia. A man with the same name as me. He sent me this." Then he swallows, crinkles the corner of the paper in his hand and says some of the most beautiful words I've ever heard. "Let me show you what love can do." It happens every time. My throat constricts, my hand reaches for the photos, and once again I listen to the story, told as only Bill can tell it. And I think of these words by John Newton: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found... Tiptoeing around the edges of all our cozy campsites is someone who needs that kind of practical love. Who's skulking around yours? For God's sake, show them what love can do. You can respond to these thoughts at [email protected] |
 |