It was five years ago tonight when Lucy first rode in the car with me. She was on her way to her “forever home” with me that night, but she didn’t know it, so she was terrified. It was a much happier and braver girl who took a ride in the car tonight so we could go through a drive-through window and order a hamburger for her — to celebrate five years with me. She had a great time. If she could remember five years ago tonight, she would be proud of how far she’s come, too. If you’d like to know more about Lucy’s journey from scared dog to brave queen of the household, here’s something I wrote after her first year with me. I’m hoping this girl will have many more happy years with me.
How can I share what’s obvious when nobody will listen or see?
What if you knew a secret that the rest of the world needed to know? What if you could change lives with this knowledge? Would you share it with others?
Of course you would. If you saw a tornado coming, any normal person would warn others. If you knew of any danger which others couldn’t yet see, you would almost certainly do everything in your power to raise an alarm. You would tell others what was coming — and you’d warn them to escape the danger.
But what if others didn’t want to hear your warning? What if you knew that others wouldn’t listen? What if you realized they wouldn’t take you seriously — that they might even call you crazy?
If you had that knowledge in your mind — but you found that people around you wouldn’t listen — would you doubt yourself? Would you wonder whether you’re crazy? Would you throw your hands up in frustration and maintain a sullen silence — even though the coming storm seemed painfully obvious to you?
A heart that’s open to love can lead you to unexpected places
There was nothing especially noteworthy about the dream. I was married and we had a couple of children. I’ve had variations of this dream for years. It always takes place at a home which I don’t actually know, although the house differs at times.
For almost seven years, it was always the same woman when I had such dreams, at least in the ones in which I recognized someone. At other times, I couldn’t say who she had been. But it was always either this particular woman or a generic unknown woman. Until last weekend.
For the first time in a long time, the wife in my dream was a woman I used to know pretty well. Marie was a tall and beautiful Czech woman who lives in Prague. She was still in grad school when I first met her online years ago. She was smart and we had similar values.
I still remember the first time she called me on the phone as she rode a train home from her university. I was attracted to her and she was attracted to me.

Briefly: I can’t celebrate any death, even those who might ‘deserve it’
Briefly: Why do you care about tiff between Chris Rock and Will Smith?
Briefly: Modern culture seems to be coming apart
Going back to fundamentals gets me closer to the quality I want
New command from the French state: ‘Thou shalt not say Facebook or Twitter on TV or radio’
You can’t see inside my heart, but my words invite you to know me
Nightmarish dreams mean dead can continue to play mind games
Good character matters far more than winning political arguments
What makes someone want you enough to make you a priority?