Faith-An Inspiration For The Christmas Season

This is Faith.
Do you notice something unusual about this dog?
Look closely.
Yes, she is on her hind legs, but what seems to be missing?
It is her two front legs.
Faith was born without two front legs in a junkyard around Christmas in 2002. And she was rejected and abused by her mother.
But, Reuben Stringfellow found the pup and took her in. He was 17 years old at the time and asked his mom if there was anything that could be done for her condition. Jude Stringfellow said no, nothing could be done medically. But that they could simply help her.
Now, Mrs. Stringfellow is Faith's owner and while Faith did not start out all that well in her dog life, she has learned to walk on her hind legs. And she has become an inspiration to many people. Especially soldiers who have returned from war with debilitating conditions due to injuries.
But in the article, it was not a soldier that Faith had a profound effect on.
It was a woman that had lost her legs due to complications of diabetes. She was on her way to get a gun and end it all. Here is Mrs. Stringfellow's recollection of that moment:

"She was in her wheelchair and saw us. She was crying. She had seen Faith on television. She just held her and said she wished she had that kind of courage." Stringfellow said. "She told us: 'I was on my way to pick up the gun.' She handed the pawn ticket to a police officer and said she didn't need it anymore."

WOW! A humble dog, not realizing that she had such a problem, made a human being change her mind and not end her life but to go on.
That is what make Faith's story one of inspiration this Christmas season.
That a dog can have a real effect on people. Can make people forget the pain of war. Or the pain of losing both legs due to diabetes. Or the simple fact that Faith does not realize that she is different. That she walks like no other dog. That she brings so much curiosity, joy and happiness into the lives of so many people.
Faith is a true story of the Christmas season. She gives of herself freely. She does not realize what she does to her human friends. Yet, just seeing her on her hind legs, walking like a person because she does not have her front legs is amazing to most people.
Sometimes, we are inspired not by another human being, but an animal that can bring one out of despair and hope.
And that is what the Christmas season is and should be about.
And of course Faith has her own website.
Faith is an inspiration for all of us that sometimes wallow in the world of self-pity. I will think of her when I fall into that place in my life.