How Marley and Me changed my life

So this was just another day sometime in March of 2009. I was watching Marley and Me and realized how much I missed having a dog again. That evening came home with me, my first real baby..Goldie. He is now a year old Golden Retriever.
I have recently learned that life comes with hardships, some of which are so difficult to overcome that they change who we are. That is how I changed from being a hopeless romantic, a crazy believer into to a sarcastic, practical human being. Then I adopted Goldie. For the last one year I have been beyond blessed and yet, blinded to be able to see my blessed life clearly.

Now let me tell you about my family. I believe I love my family very much. However, on bad days, I yell at them. Some days I am unreasonable with them and other days I love them to death. They treat me the same way. And sometimes when they are unreasonable or irritable, I get hurt. I keep telling them how I feel and yet some days I feel like no body really understands me. Then I hang up the phone. Inevitably, sitting by my side is my Goldie. He wakes up and kisses my hand, or my face. Its his way of telling me that he is here. No matter where I have been, or where I want to go, he follows me and lets me know that he wants to be with me. When he does that I often yell at him for getting in my way. Sometimes I chide him for running around the house. However, every single time I need someone, my Goldie is by my side before I can even get the chance to say "I need you".
How can anyone love so unconditionally? Everyone wants to find the 'great love' of their lives. We all search for it, but do we deliver ourselves?
Think of one of these scenarios.
Your mom yells at you for doing something wrong. You did not really do anything terribly wrong, but she yelled anyway. Or,
Your dad just over expected something out of you that hurt you and frustrated you. Or,
Your sibling was just being her usual stubborn self. Or (and this is the worst one)
Your husband was acting like a big jerk that particular day.
How do you think you reacted? I know that in all these situations (some of which were my own mistakes, others were misdirected anger) I got into an argument, or sulked or cried or hated that person for that particular day (sometimes more). I also hold grudges towards my own family members when I remember our arguments.
However, I do not hold any grudges against Goldie. Not that he has been an angel.. believe me when I say this, he has bitten me, misbehaved with me, destroyed some of my very valuable possessions and pooped all over my favorite places in the house..When I have yelled bloody murder at him, all he has ever done in return is, run to me and give me a kiss. Surprisingly, it makes all my anger go away. I hug him and we call it a day.

And I kept thinking why can I not seem to remember a single thing to dislike about Goldie. I think I know that reason. My Goldie loves me unconditionally. When I have a good day, he shares my excitement; when I have a bad day, he cheers me up; when I am mad at him (or mad at someone and just taking it out on him) he gives me a kiss; when I cry, he licks off every tear before it reaches the end of my face. He does not wait for me to say 'I'm sorry Golde' if I've wronged him..he still comes for me. That is the difference between him and everyone else who loves me. He never reminds me of my mistakes and loves me more everyday, unconditionally. His purity makes me feel dirty. The size of his heart makes me feel heartless. His idea of love makes me feel conceited.
He teaches me some very valuable lessons every day. He loves our family more than he loves himself. He would jump into a fire pit if it meant saving us from getting a few burns. However, when a stranger walks up my door, my sweet, darling, ever-loving, cuddling puppy changes into a wild growling monster that barks and scares the stranger shitless. He is my protector. When I go to bed every night, I know that I just spent the day being truly loved by someone who expected very little in return from me.
Thank you God for making dogs. I wish I can love my family the way Goldie loves me.