“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
 ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you,
    and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?
 In his hand is the life of every living thing
    and the breath of every human being

Job 12:7-10

I don’t often write about Max specifically, he just tends to insert himself into the narrative because he is so ubiquitous. Also he’s huge, there’s that!

But Mr. Max enjoyed the beach at Emerald Isle so much yesterday that I have to share. The shoreline was pretty much empty, and then there was this steep drop-off from heavy waves at high tide that essentially created a “run” for him between the water and the mini cliff (you can see it in one of the slides).

Earlier, before anyone else was out and about, we captured this short video of the sunrise. Gorgeous colors painting the sky in every tone of new life.

Later, after breakfast, the beach was not only empty but also breezy and cool – around 65-70 degrees. We walked a good mile before encountering anyone at all. What did surprise me was Max’s reluctance to get wet. He paddled around the edges but was never willing to get more than the pads of his paws damp.

Then it was all run fast, turn around, run back, circle around, jump up and down the “escarpment”, and sit by dad whenever I wanted to be still and just watch the waves crashing on the shore.

And his nose! Working overtime catching all the unique scents of the ocean. Joy! Joy! Joy! Life! Life! Life! Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude.

As the scripture from Job says so clearly, “Look to the animals – ask them, pay attention – and they will tell you – teach you, testify…..” – DEREK