Every now and then I like to dust off and republish one of my older posts ... such is the case with "Joe And The Old Man" ... some comments are from an earlier posting ...
Just after first light each morning, the debile old man would slip on a woolen pea jacket, cover his snow-white head with a threadbare Filson Duckbill cap, then he and a dog named Joe would exit their cozy abode to set forth on a briskish jaunt ... they would unhurriedly amble alongside a roughhewn, split rail fence bordering the meadow ... around the slimy, farm pond ... then wind their way back toward the little bungalow through a dense stand of spruce pine and spurge laurel ... at times a bracing, mountain breeze intermingling with wafting scents of evergreens and wildflowers yielded an invigorating redolence ... Joe never wandered far from the old man's heels, always trailing along so closely behind that his curious, wet nose often brushed against the back of his master's trouser legs as he proudly wagged his tail ... the aged gentleman had lost his beloved wife of nearly forty years to a stroke about two decades before, and he reckoned that Joe was the best friend he had ever known ... his sole companion for the past nine years ... the shivering and frightened dog turned up on the porch one cold, rainy evening ... two whole days passed before the piteous, half-starved stray dared approach the kind looking stranger who had been offering homemade biscuits soaked in warm bacon grease ... eventually the hungry pooch could no longer resist and ravenously gulped down the irresistible morsels ... the pair had been inseparable pals ever since ...
This particular morning, as they embarked on their usual stroll they were greeted by a dark, overcast sky, and a glistening layer of ice had covered everything in sight during the previous night ... as they approached the pond the old man carefully placed each of his steps as he walked on the slippery embankment ... suddenly the soles of his worn boots lost traction causing him to slam painfully onto the hard, frozen ground as he helplessly grasped for the sparse undergrowth before sliding into the frigid water ... in a matter of seconds the lethal cold stripped all life from his body and he was gone ... the now panic-stricken Joe began to woefully howl as he realized his master had fallen into the icy pond ... without hesitation, the loyal dog desperately leaped into the deadly water and swam around frantically searching for his dear master until all strength had drained from his exhausted body ... then he too succumbed to the cold as he disappeared beneath the surface of the pool ...
Instantly the old fellow found himself trudging along an unfamiliar and seemingly endless path with towering walls to each side ... ol' Joe still at his heels sniffing the ground as they walked along ... finally the duo came upon a very wide gate with an extremely determined looking gatekeeper standing its guard ..."enter weary traveler!" the doorman cried "we've been expecting you" he added ... the old man stretched out his neck and squinted his eyes as he peered in through the enormous gate ... therein the sun shone like a jasper stone upon what appeared to be a beautiful city made of pure gold ... lying foursquare ... having twelve foundations garnished with all manner of precious stones ... twelve gates all told, made of pearls upon its walls ... and streets made of solid gold transparent as glass ... the old man had heard stories of a place such as this, but was never sure if those stories were true ... he hurried through the gate expecting Joe to follow at his heels, only to glance back and see his best friend being forcefully restrained by the stern gatekeeper just outside the gate ... "dogs are not allowed within this gate!" declared the furious doorman ... "but is this not Heaven?" insisted the old man ... "of course it is, but dogs are never permitted within!" exclaimed the irate gatekeeper ... the old man retreated back outside the gate and snatched the now snarling Joe from the firm grasp of the heartless sentry, then proceeded on up that long way ... "don't you want to enter in? ... if you go away now, you shall never again be allowed entrance through this gate!" screamed the now disappointed doorman ... "anyplace where Joe ain't welcome, ain't Heaven!" replied the angry, old man ...
"Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" ... Matthew 7:14
--sja
