"With the Wind in their Souls"

Every Saturday, I travel nearly 200 miles in search of a meaning for my life. And on every one of these journeys I find the same simple answer over and over. You see, every Saturday I make this journey to see Charlie and Max, my two Labrador Retreivers who live with mother nearly 2 hours away. They came into my life over a year ago after my best friend and first Lab, Sam passed after nearly 15 years of faithfulness and love.

Charlie (chocolate) and Max (yellow) are not related, but the three of us are now best friends as far as man and beasts go. Every week they live quiet lives with my mother awaiting my next visit. Like them, I too idle the week away waiting for the next trip to see them.

After excited greetings and searches in pockets for a treat or two, we or more accurately I, spend moments looking deep into their eyes wondering what doggy thoughts float inside their soul. I don't know if its typical of the their kind, but they both have very expressive faces and eyes.

Charlie always seems a bit anxious as he awaits a chance to get into the fields and if the weather permits, a cooling game of fetch in the river.

He is the youngest, but only by a week, and his energy is as boundless as his youth. The first to greet me his green eyes reveal a inner soul of sensitivity with an immense desire to please. He doesn't crave human attention as much as he has the need to be a part of the human world. His playful spirit provides his day with activity, exercise, and dedication to the things he enjoys in life. And much of that is being with people. His smaller frame gives no hint to the strength he possess both in muscle and in spirit. He easily controls his massive strength that seems so odd coming from such a friendly face. Yet that strength is always in reserve and ready for the call - whether to play hard or to work hard while swimming or running in the field.

Max, on the other hand is the worrier. His eyebrows wrinkle up and down with his mood as he listens intently to the human conversations around him. Fiercely loyal, no strange sound or footsteps go unnoticed. Knowing his territory, all interlopers must pay him heed. Yet with his gentle expression, his protective alertness seem almost out of place. Once he sees that a suspicious sound or intruder presents no threat, his face reveals the gentle giant inside. Like nearly all Labs, Max enjoys the water, but his element is really on the land. He races through the tall grass seeking out the sources of all the odd smells and listens intently for the slightest ruff of leaves or calls of a distance bird.

While all of these personality traits they show, the part that touches me the most are their eyes. I would never attempt to look so deeply into the eyes of a stranger dog, but when I look into Charlie or Max's eyes, I can not help but think that they ar looking back into mine.

I know that it really isn't fair to them to see them in human terms, but I can not help but think that there are things going on behind those eyes that I will never understand. Yet sometimes I feel like they are trying to help me see and understand that which is in their soul.

Through their eyes one can see the devotion, companionship, pleasure, playfulness, warmth, and caring that make them very special to me and, I think, I to them. As every weekend rolls around and I travel that journey to where they live, and as they run to greet me as I arrive, I can not help but envy their lives and remembering Sam and now Charlie and Max, thank them all for the meaning they share with me as they run and play in the field.

Rest well my friends for weekend will soon come and all four of us will be together again, with the wind in our souls.

-Dave