To those who believe there is no god – and I was in this category until this morning – I assure you there is.

This morning, the phone rang, and I got info on the location of my dog, TAZ. Many of you know TAZ; we’ve logged over 3,000 miles.

A week ago, he got swept away in a 10 knot current. He’s handled this before, but he’s 13 years old now. In any case, after a week of looking every day, he shows up at a farm within throwing distance of the spot where I threw the tennis ball. He is famished but alive. How he survived a week of 95-plus degree temps with high humidity and rain at night is something I can only compare to the movie “Papillon.”

But you know, the point of this missive is that this is the first time I prayed in years. I simply asked God to either return him to me or ensure TAZ did not suffer.

I sorry of the fact that I’ve (hopefully) temporarily lost use of an arm and can’t type, but I hope you can read this. I’m in constant, searing pain, but I have asked God to relieve this if it is His will.

Walter Boyd

Andalusia