This little girl has no idea why this picture means so much to me.
She was simply walking away from our Back to School Bash, holding a little stuffed Mavis Pearl pup tucked under her arm. But when I saw her, I just stopped and smiled.
Because suddenly, I wasn’t just seeing a little girl. I was remembering.
The day my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, she looked at me and said, “Lisa, we’re going to start a nonprofit.” That nonprofit 
eventually became what is now Lisa Bain Ministries. Looking back, that seems like the most unexpected thing anyone could have said on a day like that. But that’s who Mom was. Even while receiving the hardest news of her life, she was already thinking about how to help someone else. Neither of us had any idea what God was about to do.
From the very beginning, Mavis Pearl was part of that story. She wasn’t just our sweet tutu wearing bulldog who happened to be a therapy pup. She was family. She had a way of making people smile wherever she went, and before long, little stuffed Mavis Pearl pups began finding their way into the arms of children, cancer patients, families walking through grief, and people who simply needed something to hold onto.
I’ll never forget the day a family told us their sweet little girl was buried holding her Mavis Pearl pup. My heart has never forgotten those words. That’s when I realized these little dogs were carrying something much bigger than stuffing and fabric. They were carrying comfort. Prayer. Hope. Love.
Today, they may look like little Bernese Mountain Dogs, but they’re still doing exactly what they’ve always done… reminding people that someone cares.
Life has a way of taking unexpected turns.
Over the years, the ministry has grown and changed in ways Mom and I could have never imagined. Today, Lisa Bain Ministries has the 
privilege of serving thousands of people every year, and Mabel Joy, Maddie Grace, and Moose continue bringing comfort, smiles, and hope to so many, carrying on the canine legacy. The dream never ended. It simply grew.
But if I’m honest, I never thought I’d be giving out little stuffed Mavis Pearl pups again.
Recently, we began cleaning out storage. Tucked away in a corner were boxes and boxes of things Mom had carefully saved over the years. Memories. Supplies. Little pieces of the journey we started together.
And then I found them.
Hundreds of Mavis Pearl pups. Every size imaginable. Every one lovingly purchased by Mom and tucked away, believing that one day… just one day… they would find their way into the arms of someone who needed a little comfort, a little hope, and a reminder that they were loved. And 15 years later here we are.
I just stood there and smiled. (wiping tears) Of course Mom had saved them. That was so like her.
As we packed backpacks for children heading back to school this year, we tucked one into every backpack. Yesterday, when I saw this sweet little girl carrying hers, it took me right back to the beginning. Not because I wished for the past. Not because I wanted to go backward. But because it reminded me why we started.
It reminded me of a sweet little bulldog who brought comfort to so many people. It reminded me of my mom’s incredible heart, her unwavering faith, and the dream we began together on one of the hardest days of our lives.
And it warmed my heart to know that, all these years later, through all the twists and turns, those little Mavis Pearl pups are still bringing smiles to children. (Thanks, Mom!)
As I watched her walk away, Maddie Grace was standing just a few feet away, greeting children with the same love and joy that Mavis Pearl shared with so many over the years.
It felt like the past and the present met for just a moment. A little bulldog who helped start it all… three Bernese Mountain Dogs carrying that same mission forward… and one little girl who had no idea she was holding a piece of our story.
I couldn’t help but smile because I have a feeling Mom had the very best seat in Heaven for that moment.
Some things never stop giving.
Love never does.
0 Comments