This is one of my favorite pictures of Daisy.

Back in Virginia Beach, Daisy had a habit of sitting on the her end table and looking out the window.  She’d watch the birds, the squirrels and the neighbors come and go, but mostly she’d sit at her perch and wait for me.

Daisy knows that when I tell her something, I mean it. So when I tell her that I’m leaving, but I’ll be back, she knows I’m true to my word.

She knows she can trust me.

Sure, she’s just a dog, but it’s important to me that my dogs, as well as my friends, know where they stand with me. If I say I’m going to do something, I will do it. If I find I can’t do it, I will tell you.

Why? Because the bottom line is this ~ I’ve learned I have to live in a way that allows me to look in the mirror at myself and like who I see.

Each step I take through life lands me squarely where I place my feet. If my legs are shaky and my footing is weak, then I can’t stand rooted within myself and I surely won’t give much grounding to you.

Better that I tell you I’m slipping than to leave you sitting in the window, waiting. Old dog or old friend, it’s all the same.

So when I hold out my hand to you, or make a promise to you, and I tell you that you can trust me, you can.

The question is, can you trust yourself?