Jesusluvsall's Blog

Maybe writing about being attacked by a dog yesterday made me think about my best friend when I was a child. Her name was Taffy. It was because of Brazil that I had my best friend Taffy.

Taffy was a golden retriever, not the one in the picture above, and she was my best friend. It was because of a friend’s family moving to Brazil for his father to be a medical missionary that Taffy became part of my family. They couldn’t take Taffy with them, so the plan was for me to have some sleep overs with my friend from 3rd grade, Steve, so Taffy could get to know someone in my family.

The result was that Taffy followed me around the house when I was home. She slept in my bedroom, I brushed her, took her for walks, and fed her. We were inseparable when I was home. If I called her name, she came to me even if she was playing with my siblings.

Taffy was part of God’s grace for a boy in a crazy family life. I am not sure if dogs go to heaven, but if they do, I want to see Taffy.

During my last trip to Brazil, I spent time with my students or other professors on the weekends. Two of my students had a golden retriever named Maya. They thought it was a bit crazy when I asked to go with them to the park in Rio do Sul on a Saturday morning to help them walk their dog.

I shared with them the reason why. When I heard they had a golden retriever, I just had to walk with them in the park. It seemed so fitting to walk and play with a golden retriever in the country that was the reason I had my best friend as a child.

It was a small life comes full circle kind of moment for me. When I meet Brazilians, I always seem to have an instant connection of friendship. I have several Brazilian friends on facebook and all I have to do is post something about Brazil and I will get at least 50 likes.

I am so grateful that God led me to teach English and meet people from all over the world. Brazil planted the seed of interest in other cultures a long time ago when I was child. The reason is that because of Brazil, I had my best friend as a child.