Daddy Pete and His Dogs

One of the things I remember most about my grandpa,
Daddy Pete, is how much he loved his dogs. They went
everywhere with him. They were his family. He
petted them and you could tell how much he loved
them.

It was hard to understand why he had such a hard time
letting his grandkids know how much they meant to
him.

There are a lot of memories of Daddy Pete that I wish
could have been different. He seemed sad so much
of the time. Many times he'd been drinking and was
crying about something. My aunts would all say
he was sick. I finally figured it out. Grandpa was an
alcoholic. I guess he just didn't know how to express
his feelings for his family until.... my great-
grandparents died. They died within about 7-10 days
apart. I remember Daddy Pete saying I hope you know
I love you.

I guess I can look back a lot easier on that time now
and realize how it was just hard for him to express his
love.

I'm glad that God doesn't have that problem. He's told
us He loves us and He shows us in so many ways. I
can look around and see He loves me by a beautiful
sunrise. I can read about how He sent His only Son to
die for me. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Thank you God for loving me;especially the times when
I'm not very loveable. Help me express my love more
for my family. I want them all to "know" that I love each
one of them.