I was born in a small town in Northern Michigan where my great grandfather made his fortune harvesting second-tier white pine. His daughters built cottages on a nearby lake and brought their families by train from distant states to spend the summers. My newly married parents lived in my grandmother’s guest cottage and I took my naps outdoors in a buggy while Rab, their giant schnauzer, lay underneath guarding me.

One day when I was strong enough to balance on my hands and knees, my mother lifted me from the buggy and placed me on the terrace. Suddenly Rab saw me as a rival and lunged straight for my neck. By God’s grace my great aunt Amy, who was on the terrace with my mother, snatched me up as my mother grabbed the dog. My story would have ended long ago, but in his goodness the Lord rescued me.