Matt was tired. More tired than most days. So, he put off taking his rescued pit bull, Boo-Boo, out for an hour and sipped his coffee. But, Boo-Boo wasn’t the least bit tired. He naps ALL DAY! So, he started “talking back” and nudging Matt to get up off his butt and go for their daily bike ride.

Matt knows what’s best for him… grabbed Boo-Boo’s leash… slipped it around his massive head… and started pedaling down the street with his joyful, trotting, 75 pounds of muscle along side him.

Out on the main street, Matt and Boo-Boo came upon an old man. They couldn’t pass because he was kind of wandering back and forth as he walked – taking up the whole path. When they finally found a way around, the old man turned quickly and mumbled…

Where’s Palmetto?”

Matt stopped and pointed, “It’s a couple of blocks that way.” Then the old man looked at Boo-Boo and his face lit up. He bent over and started petting and hugging him… like only a true animal lover could.

Then, he told Matt his dog had just passed away last month and he was going to the Humane Society to adopt another dog. “The Humane Society? You are walking to the Humane Society? That’s going to take you at least a couple of hours from here, and half the streets don’t have a sidewalk… I’ll tell ya what – I’m taking Boo-Boo home – it’s only a few minutes on the bike and I’ll come back and pick you up in my car.”

“Really? You’d do that for me? A complete stranger?” He smiled.

When the old man got in Matt’s car, he said his name was Bernie. Then he looked in the back seat and said, “Awe, look how cute she is, and she’s being so quiet”, as he pet a duffle bag he thought was Boo-Boo.

On their drive to the Humane Society, Bernie told Matt all about his dog he had rescued many years ago that had passed away last month, and his beloved wife of 61 years who he lost just 3 months ago. He told Matt how beautiful she was. He had never seen anything so beautiful, and how he still remembered the first time they met and their eyes made contact. Tears streamed from his eyes and love from his heart as he talked about their life together and how she suddenly died from a blood infection.

“She was only in the hospital for one day…and it cost $18,000! I would have paid anything to be with her for…

just one more day…”

At the Humane Society Bernie checked out all the dogs. The workers pulled Matt aside and told him the obvious… that they could not give a dog to Bernie. They were afraid he could not take care of it on his own.

Matt and Bernie left and Bernie wanted to come back next week to see if they had some better dogs for him.

On the drive back to Bernie’s, Matt told Bernie he needed help. He said he was really busy with work and asked if Bernie would help him walk Boo-Boo. Bernie’s face lit up again. “Absolutely!”

It’s been two months since Matt picked up Bernie and they get together every day at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and to walk Boo-Boo. They don’t walk very fast… but Boo-Boo doesn’t seem to mind. He likes his new friend.

Matt’s heard all about how Bernie was a postman in New York City before retiring and doing security work in Florida. But most of all… how much he loved his wife.

Every day on his way to meet Bernie, Matt thinks about that… and how Bernie would have paid anything for just one more day with her.
Too often, our lives are consumed with the pursuit of things that turn out to be not that important.

Sometimes, we need a Bernie in our lives to make us realize it.

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