We had a friend that just passed away. It broke our hearts and it will take some time to recover from this great loss. Maybe we will never fully recover but we will never forget him. He affected our lives for the better. We were profoundly changed by just having known him.

When he came into our lives, I was only going to let him stay a couple of days. It was supposed to be a short visit, but that couple of days turned into 9 years. He proved to be a great friend and I never regretted allowing him to become part of our family.

As a family we fell in love with him and he with us. He never had a bad day. He never got mad at us. In fact when he was mistreated, he seemed to love us more. What a friend indeed. He was appreciative of our home and we felt safe in his presence.

He was an imposing figure and indeed could very easily intimidate. But instead, he showed a sensitive, joyful side that made us and others feel his love. He never met a strainer. He never discriminated for any reason. If you came to visit and he knew that you were there not to hurt us, you instantly became his friend, and he would never forget you and always be glad to see you.

He was unassuming and seemed to have a need to always please us. In fact if we appeared to be angry or sad, he could sense it and acted like he knew what was needed to "fix" it. He wanted us to be happy and if we weren't, he would always do something that would bring a chuckle and bring joy into our hearts.

Our friend was a Brown Lab/ Pit Bull. We taught him to respect our home and obey us. But he taught us, by example, a love that was steadfast and immovable. He never stopped loving us and was licking my daughters hand as the shot was taking his life. Coco had cancer. It took its toll very quickly. He was unable to stand, but when my wife came into the room, he would do a howl talk and wag his tail.

This unconditional love Coco demonstrated allowed us to get a glimps of how great is the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That love was not extended to us once, for that one event, but is an everlasting love that is not conditioned on how we behave. God's love is always the same whether we are good or bad. It never changes. Coco's love for us never changed. It was always the same. Hopefully we have learned from this example how great a power love is.

Jesus loves you.

Gary