Wanted: Missing Doxie

Last night was one of those nights you pray will never happen.  I went to bed about 9:30.  Frank and Beau (the doxie) would be following me shortly.  I read for about 30 minutes and then went to sleep.  At 11:00 Frank came and told me that Beau had not returned after his nightly constitutional and that he had already walked almost to the church looking for him.  I got up and slipped into some clothes and joined in the search.  We walked through neighbors yards(it was a wonder we weren't shot), called for him, rode to the church checking the ditches on both sides of the road, and then rode down the other way.  I was praying he had gotten in the field of hay beside or behind our house and gotten turned around.  I feared he had been gotten by coyotes. We sat under the carport and watched the door...we both cried at what we feared might be true.   At 1:15 I laid back down and cried some more.  Frank stayed up in the recliner hoping he would bark at one of the doors.  All was quiet.  At 1:30 our doorbell chimed and their stood our neighbor (Mrs. Gloria) with a very traumatized Beau.  Her dogs had started barking and when she turned on her back light she found him quivering in her back yard.  She coaxed him back to our house.  He did not sleep with us last night.  Instead he slept on a towel in the bathroom where he could see our bed.  This morning he has not gone out....I am sure it is because it is not daylight yet.....and lays at one of our feet.  Right now he is sleeping at mine.  Frank has gone outside to drink his coffee.  I thought I would do my blog.  Frank and I have talked about moments like this many times.  We decided that IF, key word there is "if", anything ever happened to Beau there would not be another dog.....but I was not ready to go there....at least not last night.  I am so glad that we did not have to.....this time.  Today I am preaching out of Luke 15:1-10.  It is the Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin.  I will probably add in....the Parable of the Lost Beau.  Hope you have a blessed day.  I know I am feeling pretty blessed right now.