A Miracle In My Life

Growing up Catholic, I always loved the stories that involved miracles. The lives of the saints, many female and children, inspired countless hours of daydreaming of when a *miracle* would happen in my life. As time passed with no such event, I grew older and more cynical and began to believe that the stories I'd read of these ordinary humans doing or experiencing extraordinary things began to seem like, well, just stories.

Until last night at the Tail Waggin' Dinner when the vision (right) of "St." Milo came to me and reminded me again of my childhood fantasies. With the tablecloth draped over his beautiful golden halo, and the pious brown eyes gazing at me with the promise of redemption, the memories of the hours we spent dressing up as nuns came rushing back to me.

And there, surrounded by hundreds of supporters and clients and the dogs of Helping Paws that had gathered together to share a meal and raise funds for the dogs and their training, I heard in the stories shared of ordinary people doing extraordinary things the *miracle* I had anticipated as a child. Because of Belle and Helping Paws, I get to be a part of that miracle. What a gift!