A Desire Unveiled

I saw a woman without a coat on today, standing at a major intersection, holding a cardboard sign that said, "Hard times. Homeless. Need help."
She was also holding a leash that was being tugged at by a new, tiny, tan-and-white puppy. When my eyes followed the leash down to find her pup, they also found the woman's coat, nested around her puppy's feet.


...When I saw that she had a puppy, my mind's first reaction was not lovely. It was, "That poor, shivering puppy. Why does she have a puppy?"
The thought sunk to the bottom of my heart like a bolder dropping through the sea, making large waves, its weight rippling out to reach everything I'd ever learned about love and desire. By the time it touched the bottom, I was pained that the thought had crossed my mind.

...I'm going to go ahead and say this and welcome your corrections for further thought. But, from what my heart has known and seen and experienced, I've come to believe that, if we sorted human desire down to what, at the very heart of it, we really want? Our ultimate desire would be to love and to be loved.

This woman desired love. She desired it deeply...passionately.
She desired love and companionship beyond her thought of what he may cost her: "How am I going to keep him warm and fed?" She'd figure it out.
She desired the companionship of her pup, possibly more than she desired being able to buy herself a warm meal.
And what was most beautiful? She desired love more than she desired her own physical warmth and comfort. She was willing to give up her most valuable possession to make a bed for her loved pup.

Does this picture say something to you?