Louie has several amusing little habits that I have grown accustomed to. One, in particular, occurs during our walks. Besides the typical beagle nose to the ground and smelling a blade of grass forever, he thinks he pulls something over on me, and I don’t notice.

We love our walks together. Louie enjoys sniffing the ground as though he is a super sleuth, hot on the bad guys’ trail. I like being outside and the exercise. While I am adding steps to my day, Louie is saving the world.

We have several directions we can go when we leave the house, depending on whether we want to take a long way or short, through a neighborhood or around the creek, but we take a different path each time we walk. When we get to a certain point in our walk, we can turn right and go around a neighborhood. Or go straight and walk around two ponds in another area that is a bit off the beaten path.

The determining factor of our destination? The sun. If the sun is shining, Louie wants to go straight ahead. It doesn’t matter if it is 20 degrees outside. All he needs is the sun to be shining. As we head toward the fork in the road, he picks up the pace and sets his nose straight ahead, determined to go to the ponds. He does not look to the left or the right, he just goes. He won’t even look behind to see if I am following (and yes—he is on a leash, so I’m not sure where he thinks he’s going).

When I acquiesce, his prance has slightly more bounce. When we are well on our way to his favorite spot, he might glance over his should at me, but mostly, he is determined to stay on the path he enjoys most. If I stay with him, that is just an added bonus. And it all depends on the sun.

This gave me PAWS. The only factor determining where Louie walks is the sun. From his point of view, when the sun is out, all is well. It gives him energy and seems to make everything bright. We all know the benefits of Vitamin D from the sun, but I started to wonder…do I depend as much on the SON to determine my steps? When a path lies ahead, and the son is directing me, do I trot off without a care in the world and joy in my heart?

Not always. Sometimes, I act like Eeyore—oh, woe is me, this is too hard, I don’t want to go this way…you get the picture. But what if I had the determination of Louie just because of the presence of the SON? I think my journey might be more enjoyable and filled with peace.

God only gives us the next steps. Psalm 119 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” If he is directing us, we can wrap ourselves in his warm, everlasting light and presence.

As for Louie, well, this is the look I usually get when I try to redirect him. This picture was taken the first day I met him…nothing has changed .