Angel in Disguise

By Lisa A Wisniewski

Life is full of messes and darkness. What we often fail to see is that in cleaning up the messes, we discover the hidden treasures of faith, hope, and love, leading us to the light we need and desire. These treasures, in turn, allow us to continue upon the journey with more patience and wisdom to help us reach our destination in time.

Angel in Disguise is a true story of canine companionship and the lessons learned through the messes encountered in this relationship. Told in first-person perspective with an open, transparent honesty and spiritual recognition, it is a recollection of how a faithful friend helped a young girl find her way out of the darkness and into the light of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973656302

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 Lisa A. Wisniewski.

Interior Image Credit: Lisa A. Wisniewski

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5631-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5632-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5630-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019902746

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/19/2019

Contents

Epigraph

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1     Wanted: One Good Dog

Chapter 2     Puppy Problems

Chapter 3     Birdseed Bonanza

Chapter 4     Summers Lost

Chapter 5     Little Always

Chapter 6     Aching Heart

Chapter 7     Time Marches On

Chapter 8     Tale of Two Cities

Chapter 9     Nature’s Escapes

Chapter 10   Break in Momentum

Chapter 11   Siempre and Tambien

Chapter 12   April Rain

Chapter 13   Biding Time

Chapter 14   Release Me

Afterword

In Loving Memory of

Princess, My Little Always and Angel in Disguise

Epigraph

Esteem it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the trying of your faith begets patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. —James 1:2-4

Acknowledgments

A heartfelt thanks to the many angels who have made my paths straighter and watched over me with patience and understanding. Many thanks to my four-legged angels: Old Ralph, Kelly, Ralph, Princess, Nikki, Luke, Sadie, Faith, Bo, and Leo for helping me to understand and accept what is most important in life. Thanks also to family members, relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers, and coworkers for their encouragement, support, perspective, wisdom, and understanding through the years. Thanks be to God for the blessings He has given and continues to provide each day.

A very special thanks to Patty DiNardo, a friend of my mother, who made the adoption of Princess possible years ago. May Patty rest in peace with heaven’s angels.

Introduction

German shepherd dogs have been a part of my life since the day my mother brought me home from the hospital. My first moments at home as a newborn were spent getting to know Old Ralph, the faithful family canine with a tough exterior hiding a gentle soul. Old Ralph knew right away I was delicate and fragile, though I doubt anyone told him I had been born premature with a small stature and some minor health issues. He immediately sensed my need for a protector, placing his paw ever so gently upon me as if to say, I have you covered from head to toe, back to front, top to bottom, little one.

Growing up with Old Ralph allowed me to discover the wonderful benefits of the German shepherd breed. Loyal to a fault, faithful through every breath, protective whether I was colicky or quiet, Old Ralph was there. In essence, he was a guardian angel watching over me until that fateful day in April of 1979 when cancer took him away suddenly, with no warning, no preparation, no anything save for the emptiness felt by the lack of his physical presence. My parents, my Uncle Jim, my sister, and I buried Old Ralph in the back yard under the apple tree. We marked his resting place with three stones Uncle Jim had brought in his pickup truck. It was my first experience with death. I was five years old, and did not understand Old Ralph leaving to be in heaven instead of staying on earth with us.

My family was fortunate to have adopted a second German shepherd before Old Ralph’s sudden passing. Kelly knew her place as protector, confidant, and friend. She had her own angelic qualities, often jumping with amazing grace and style to catch a Frisbee thrown by my sister or me. Ever vigilant of us, Kelly made sure we stayed in the yard and did not get into trouble. Sadly, she did not age gracefully, for hip dysplasia invaded her body at an aggressive pace. Kelly passed away due to complications from this nasty disease in March of 1987. We laid her to rest next to Old Ralph. I was thirteen years old with a better understanding of heaven, but it still hurt immensely to say goodbye to a gentle soul and dear friend.

My family had adopted a rather wayward German shepherd named Ralph before Kelly passed. We did not plan Ralph’s arrival. Suddenly one day, there he was, all legs and ears, the runt of a litter that had been abandoned and somehow ended up with us. Though Ralph did not have angelic qualities on the surface (he was quite the lumbering dysfunctional companion the first few months), something inside shone through, touching our hearts. Having him with us made the transition into a life without Kelly easier. Ralph proved himself to be a great protector in time, growing into a huge frame of hulking power and strength. He grew ill in the winter months of 1990, losing mass and strength at an alarming pace. We learned he had cancer, and in May of that year, he went to be with the other angels in heaven.

In addition to Old Ralph, Kelly, and Ralph, I had the great fortune of growing up with Damian, a German shepherd with both a kind heart and an ornery disposition. Damian belonged to Uncle Jim, who was my mom’s brother. Uncle Jim lived two fields away with his family. He and Damian often walked the property and stopped by our house to visit. Damian lived to be fourteen years old. He passed away shortly after Old Ralph, leaving a huge hole in the hearts of many family members, especially Uncle Jim.

I also grew up with Ginger, another German shepherd with a loving, caring nature. Ginger lived just one field away with Gram, my mom’s mother. Ginger and I spent many weekends on the floor playing with each other’s toys. She loved to play ball, so when the weather was nice, my sister and I threw the ball for Ginger for hours on end in Gram’s back yard with Gram supervising us from her chair on the back porch. Like Kelly, Ginger developed a nasty case of hip dysplasia and had to be put to sleep. I was ten years old when Ginger passed, and recall how deeply her loss affected Gram.

All of these dogs played a part in my upbringing and understanding of life. They helped me learn how to play with others and how to be a responsible dog owner. They each had their own personality and quirks that made them unique and lovable. So much of my life revolved around these dogs, their care, and their companionship. In essence, they were the first friends I ever knew, and all of them left to go to heaven.

Standing at Ralph’s grave next to the resting places of Old Ralph and Kelly,