I won’t lie to you. I begin to get soggy around the gizzard at this time every year. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Sentimental guy that I am, I am thinking about all the things for which I am grateful. Today I’m thinking about the women in my life. A few days ago I marked the memory of my mother and mother-in-law. They both died on the 12th of October, a year apart, more than decade ago but my memories of them are as vivid as ever. I still get a lump in my throat as if it were yesterday. I am thinking about another gal I adored. A little more than a year ago our oldest daughter died on her 45th birthday. Still tears flow. But I have lots of joy about the women in my life. I have a 21-year-old daughter and two great daughters-in-law whom I admire and love dearly. And a wife of nearly 48 years whom I love more with each passing day. (I warned you that I’m sentimental!)

     My sweet daughter-in-law, Christie, sent me a note this week entitled “Why Men Prefer Dogs Instead of Wives.” I don’t know where she got this list but here it is. I’ll have a comment at the end: This is why men prefer dogs.

1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.
2. Dogs don’t notice if you call them by another dog’s name.
3. Dogs like it if you leave things on the floor.
4. A dog’s parents never visit.
5. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
6. You never have to wait for a dog; they’re ready to go 24 hours a day.
7. Dogs find you amusing when you’re drunk.
8. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.
9. A dog will never wake you up at night to ask, “If I died, would you get another dog?”
10. Dogs like to ride in the back of a pickup truck. And last but not least,
11. If a dog leaves, it won’t take half your stuff.

     Now, these items are unlikely to achieve the status of domestic proverbs alongside the Book of Proverbs in the Bible or the wisdom of Poor Richard’s Almanac. But they are funny

anyhow. For one thing, they point up some of the familiar foibles of the male persuasion. They also remind us husbands of what louts we can be sometimes. They also remind us all of some of the potholes in domestic life that cause blowouts on the tires of marriage. Most humor emerges out of minor irritations and human pain but I don’t think that’s true of Christie’s list. She knows David adores her. And she and David both love dogs. They have two strikingly beautiful dogs, a Blue Tick hound, Rufus, and a half German Shepherd, half wolf, Riley. They are huge, playful dogs. Still, I’m guessing Christie, in good fun, could write a list of “Why Wives Prefer Dogs Instead of Husbands.”

     Romantics sometimes speak of shouting their love from mountaintops. But what about those who live nowhere near a mountain? The great thing about real love is that it works in any geographical setting. From the icebergs of Alaska to the Great Dismal Swamp of coastal Virginia and North Carolina, love works. From the flat Great Plains to the liquid Louisiana bayou, love works.

     People who love the Bible turn to Proverbs 31 to find a paean to the excellent wife and mother. On Mother’s Day they dust off the Book and read again the familiar words of tribute. The picture emerges of the super woman. She is the model of industry, generous to a fault, kind, wise, loving and dignified. But I’m for shouting cheers from Thanksgiving to forever for you gals!

     Everyone could become more endearing to others by displaying some of the attributes of a canine! An occasional, playful bark or an act of affectionate obedience—what’s not to love about that? Or a romp on the lawn. Or a protective display of vigilance. Or even a rare display of heroism. We adore our dogs—we husbands and wives. And we laugh at the extremes to which our affection extends. But the best thing is that we love each other—thank God!

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