The legend of Johnny B.
On Christmas Eve we let our dog Sheba out and much to our surprise there was another dog in the yard. It was very cold outside and so was the dog. He was obviously a young dog but was skin and bones. We introduced him to the empty doghouse in the barn, gave him food and water and some old blankets to sleep on.
For the next five weeks this American bulldog pup spent his nights in the doghouse, ate a hearty breakfast and then took off each day to hunt squirrels, rabbits and whatever else he chose. Every evening he returned to a bowl of dog food and a warm doghouse. Early on I named this dog Johnny B. for some reason. I guess because every day he was Johnny B gone. Recently we decided to name him Rudy since he showed up on Christmas Eve.
Today I went to feed him very early in the morning and he was gone. In fact, even now at 8:00 pm his breakfast still sits in the bowl. If he never returns tonight we will assume he moved on to greener pastures or somehow made his way back to wherever he lived before showing up here. The thought of this actually makes me sad in a way. I sort of liked having a dog outside to protect us from all those mean squirrels.
Johnny B. reminds me of many people I have known in this life. They show up unexpectedly, gladly enjoy our compassionate attempts at loving them but before things get too cozy, they run for the hills. I can think of perhaps 7 people just from this site which fit in this category. They appear out of nowhere, make a big splash telling everyone of all the great things they are going to do and then vanish in the night without a trace.
Love is a commitment that demands both running TO and the willingness to NOT run AWAY from others. For those whose mantra is that when the pressure is onRUN; I can only feel sorry for them for they are missing some of the greatest moments in this life. It takes a lot of guts to stick with a person, situation or group even when times get tough. It takes courage to put those running shoes in the closet and instead become firmly planted long enough to really make a difference in someone's life.
I don't know why Johnny B. runs off every day and I don't know if he will come back any more than why certain people are always MIA when the pressure gets turned up while others seem to thrive on it. For those who insist on running every time things get tough, I will pray for you. For those who run to serve during those tough times, I pray God richly rewards you for your service. For Johnny B, I hope wherever the road takes you that you find what you are looking for.
 Creative Commons: Public Domain
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Author: blessings2you
Location: Warrenton Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Blog Entries: 828 (archive)
Blog Comments: 1357
god called me to serve him when i was 16 years old while on a church work trip in new mexico in 1969. in the 40 years since; i attended bible school/leadership training, been ordained to the christian ministry and worked full time for a non-denominational ministry for nearly ten...
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in 1969 god stepped in and transformed my life as a sixteen year old teenager. after a couple of years of intense emotional ups and downs, i decided i needed a firm foundation in my life that went beyond emotional experiences. it was the decision to become involved with a...
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