Hi there! … My name is Ralph, … Heavenly Father, which is in charge of us, which sent me here to be another Best Pal to Wayne and Jackie.

I want to tell you how this all started.
In 1984, the maker of all things, let me off over on the corner and told me that from there I would be able to find the ones that would become my Best Pals too. He told me to just take off up the road and I would know when I come to the right place. Soooo…the journey began. The first place that I came to was a dairy, and the guy there was friendly enough all right, but I could tell that this was not the place I was looking for so on I walked. Looking on both sides of the road, left, then right, then I came up to another house but there was nobody home. Then I thought? … Nope, this can't be the right place because where I'm going they are waiting for me so I wondered on.

Suddenly as I was walking, I could see a place where some people were building a new house. I wondered in but it didn't seem to be quite right, but I wasn't sure until a guy got a bunch of white mud all over me then I turned and went on my way.

As I wondered on down the road it was getting late and cold, and I began to wonder if I might be going in the wrong direction when as I was sitting for a rest, this guy came out of a house and looked in my direction. He called out to me, "Hi Guy!" … "Isn't it kind a late for you to be out?" So I wondered over to his driveway to where he was standing. He grinned as he continued to talk to me and knelt down to pet me…. I knew right then that my search had ended. He picked me up in his arms and called out…"Mom!".. "I think we got us a new Best Pal".

"Oh no you don't". A voice called out…"we don't need another one of them to come break our hearts again". "I think you better come and take a look Mom, I think this is a good one!" said the guy. "No, and that's final!" The other voice said. Wow! She sure sounded serious. "Ok fine" the guy said to her. "I'll just send him out on his way and he will probably get hit by a truck or something". "He'll just get run over and his troubles will be over". He continued."What do we care, he's just a lil ole black dawg, cold, dirty and hungry". And continued, "maybe he'll even be lucky enough to get run over right in front of the house here and all we'll have to do is bury him".

By this time the lady was on her way down the steps and coming toward me. When she drew near enough, I reached out and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I suddenly detected a shy little grin on her face and she said.."Oh alright, just give him to me, "but just for tonight" she said, then he will have to go!"

With that my new Best Pal headed down to feed the sheep and by the time he returned I had been given a nice warm bath and supper was on the table. I'd get a bit first from one, and then the other. After we were all done with supper, we went into a nice livingroom with a nice warmth coming from a lit fireplace. There I put my tired body down for some much-needed rest. "Sigh! A nice warm bath, a good meal and now a warm fire? It don't get any better than that!" As I closed my eyes, here comes Mom with the neatest little bed … "Oh Wow!" But it was cats bed…"I'll have none of that".

Well, bye and bye, its bed time so Jackie and Wayne leave me there and head for the bedroom. I would not have that either so I jumped up on the bed and curled up at Wayne's feet and that's where I put my head down for the next 16 years. Just like the song goes "sleeping at the foot of the bed"

As the years rolled by we all journeyed through ease and difficulty. We have seen the eagle on the wing in the magnificent mountains of Colorado. We have encountered the rattlesnakes and torantula spiders on the Nevada deserts and the winds and cold of Wyoming. And yes, we even walked the streets of Bakersfield. What a wonderful life the three of us have shared. It's just that the three of us went so well together. When the Great Maker puts Best Pals together, he sure knows what he's doing!

Life it seemed was rolling along just fine when suddenly on the first day of February 1998, something terrible happened. Mom wasn't coming home! She had not been feeling well but I did not know how badly off she was. It was on that day when the Great father in heaven sent out a call, and the Angels came and got Mom to take her away. What a shock it was, especially for my Best Pal Wayne. It completely shattered our hearts. Oh, we don't question our heavenly Fathers wisdom, but it seemed to me that we were such a team that we wondered why he didn't take us too. I was sure that he could have found something for all three of us to do together.

Oh Dad takes good care of me alright, but I know that he's just as lonesome for Mom as me, cause sometimes at night I see him sit and think with tears rolling down his cheeks. He picks me up and sits me with him on the easy chair. Petting me and telling me a whole lot of stuff and "shucks… he just puts us both right off to sleep.

I know I was sent here to be they're Best Pal and that's just what I've been. I am sure that when we get to go where Mom is, I'm still going to be they're Best Pal…and Old Tuggles to!

In the meantime I got my paws full trying to take care of this Pal of mine … and just so you'll know … He is the Best.

"Hey Big Guy, sit down over here, there's something we need to talk about."
" What's up Pal?'
"Well, ya know, ya keep telling me that Father in Heaven, which sent us here, told me everything I'd need to know while I was here?"
"Yeah---so--"
"Well, there is something that He told me, that He didn't tell you. Ya see, He told me that the stay would only be for a time---not for always---now, we've been the best of Pals for a long time, and we still will be, but the time is drawing near when I have to go back. I've been feeling it for a while now. I don't know just what the reason is, but it could be that Misty and Mom and Tuggles are needing some help in the Big Sheep Pasture in the sky. Ya know, ya always kinda thought that me and you would go together, ---but, we ain't, dang it. I don't know why, we're just Not ! It seems there's a few things left for you to get done and, heck, you can do them without me. I'd probably just get in your road anyway. But, there's this you need to know too
----This ain't the END---
It's just a darn good start. Heavenly Father just wanted to see if I could be a Best Pal, like Old Tuggles was.Well Pal--- I think we passed the test---with colors flying high.
So Pal, you go ahead and finish up on this stuff around here, and the first thing you know, you'll turn a corner, and there we'll be, you'll see that we weren't far away at all, and those tears that are those of heartache now, will be tears of joy, the likes of which you can't even dream. Until then, just remember what you have told me so many times, that when Heavenly Father puts best Pals together, He sure knows what He's doin'.
And you're right---You and me will be Best Pals Forever !
So Long---My Friend==="
Ralphie

Pal Ralphie left for the Big Sheep Pasture in the Sky, on the 2nd of November 2000.
Author: Wayne Hall
Edited by: Audrey Fahey

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