\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was a driver for the City Bus.\u00a0 My line went up and down Cambridge Avenue, one of the main east-west thoroughfares of the city.\u00a0 The job was a good way to meet some interesting characters.\u00a0\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long to recognize the regulars; many became \u201cfriends\u201d of sorts.\u00a0 One of my most favorite passengers was Louise.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I took over the #3 bus route from Jim, he told me there was a homeless woman who traveled from one end to the other of the line but never really got off anywhere.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s a kook but harmless.\u00a0 Always make sure she sits right behind you so no one bothers her.\u201d\u00a0 He went on to explain that Louise was the only person, to his knowledge, who had ever received special permission to bring a non-service animal on the bus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The first day on my new route, Louise climbed aboard at the Market Place stop.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you Louise?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She looked at me in surprise.\u00a0 \u201cWell, yes I am,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHow did you know?\u201d\u00a0 How did I know?\u00a0 Well, the first clue was the dog, except Jim had failed to describe the beast to me.\u00a0 He was huge.\u00a0 Did Jim really think anyone would bother her?<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was told that you have a reserved spot\u2014right here.\u201d\u00a0 I pointed to the seat directly behind me, while eyeing the dog carefully.\u00a0 He was a massive animal with a large head and floppy ears.\u00a0 His color was blotchy brown and black.\u00a0 Although his coat was heavy, he obviously received regular brushings.\u00a0 He stared at me, checking me out.\u00a0 Someone forgot to tell him that there was a new driver on his route.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cJim said you would be starting today.\u00a0 This is The Colonel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, that was my first meeting with Louise and her ever-present companion.\u00a0 We got acquainted little by little, and eventually, the dog stopped giving me the evil eye every time they climbed on board.\u00a0 After a few weeks, Louise decided he was ready for me to pet him.\u00a0 Soon, I greeted them as a pair:\u00a0 \u201cHello Louise.\u00a0 Hello Colonel.\u00a0 How are we today?\u201d\u00a0 So, the routine went.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe Colonel\u201d was a mutt, a mixture that Louise proudly called \u201ca little of this, a little of that\u2014but mostly good dog.\u201d\u00a0 He never left Louise\u2019s side.\u00a0 I began to think he was only big and completely harmless.\u00a0 Then one day I saw him come between Louise and a would-be mugger just as she got off my bus.\u00a0 No one was going to hurt his master.\u00a0 The thief ran off, tail between his legs, so to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Louise and The Colonel rode my bus two to three times a week at first.\u00a0 Their presence became more frequent as we came to know each other better. I learned that she wasn\u2019t homeless, and she certainly wasn\u2019t a \u201ckook\u201d as Jim had described her.\u00a0 She was just a lonely old lady who loved her dog and who needed some human companionship once in a while.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One day I asked her about her cherished sidekick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, he\u2019s the best, isn\u2019t he?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat he is.\u00a0 Why The Colonel<\/em>?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMy husband was in the Army during the Korean War.\u00a0 He wanted to make it a career and had aspirations of becoming a colonel and maybe even a general someday.\u00a0 We never had any kids.\u00a0 We were waiting until he got back from the war.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was impressed.\u00a0 \u201cDid he?\u00a0 I mean did he become a colonel?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice became soft.\u00a0 \u201cHe made it to major and then was killed . . . \u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I glanced back at her in my mirror.\u00a0 I expected to see tears but there were none visible. She sighed and continued.\u00a0 \u201cHe was killed right before the war ended.\u00a0 They sent his body home, and I buried him two weeks after our fifth wedding anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Louise.\u00a0 And, I\u2019m sorry there were no children.\u201d\u00a0 I thought of my two boys and what joy and complexity they had brought to my life.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I would\u2019ve liked having kids, I think.\u201d\u00a0 Her face was sober, but there was no indication of bitterness in her statement.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I wanted to say more words of consolation but before I could, she straightened her shoulders and patted The Colonel on his head.\u00a0 \u201cSo, that\u2019s why I named this guy The Colonel.\u201d\u00a0 A smile now radiated across her face.\u00a0 \u201cI was so<\/em> proud of my husband\u2014still am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAs you should be.\u201d<\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In January two years after I started on the #3 route, Louise wasn\u2019t on my bus for a week.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t concerned until her absence went into the second week.\u00a0 The weather wasn\u2019t cold or snowy, so I was sure there must be something else keeping her from her routine. \u00a0I missed seeing her and The Colonel.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I took Tuesday off that week to investigate because I was worried about Louise.\u00a0 I knew through our conversations that she had no family or anyone to check up on her.\u00a0 The last time she was on my bus, she didn\u2019t seem like herself.\u00a0 I started by driving around the area near where she always got on the bus.\u00a0 I remembered several comments she made about how her mailman couldn\u2019t seem to read.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m always getting mail for 1270 West 2nd Place<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 In the winter she complained about how all the snow and ice on her front sidewalk never melted until spring.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, even though I didn\u2019t know her exact address, I put the clues together.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t all that difficult to find which house I thought was hers.\u00a0 She had given me just enough information over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I knocked on the door, The Colonel barked but no one came to the door.\u00a0 He peeked through the curtains at the front window.\u00a0 He recognized me, and his bark became a whine.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I tried the front door and, sure enough, it was unlocked.\u00a0 Louise was always adamant that she wasn\u2019t too worried about safety measures.\u00a0 \u201cWho cares?\u00a0 I\u2019m too old.\u00a0 If they want to come get me\u2014let them.\u00a0 Besides The Colonel is better security than any locked door.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Colonel shot through the door when I opened it and hurried outside. \u00a0I stuck my head inside and called for Louise, but there was no answer.\u00a0 I started going through the house and found her in a bedroom lying on the bed.\u00a0 \u201cLouise?\u201d\u00a0 I touched her arm and shook her a little, trying to rouse her.\u00a0 Why\u2014I don\u2019t know, because her arm was cold and I was pretty sure she was dead.\u00a0 \u201cLouise?\u201d\u00a0 No response.\u00a0 The Colonel jumped up on the bed and laid his head across her stomach.\u00a0 I called 911 and went outside to wait for the emergency personnel.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Colonel would not let the paramedics near his beloved human.\u00a0 I grabbed his collar and dragged him away.\u00a0 A low, gurgling growl came out of his throat, but he let me lead him outside.\u00a0 He and I sat on the step, and I stroked his giant head.\u00a0 I kid you not\u2014there were tears coming out of his big brown eyes.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Colonel,\u201d I cooed.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s okay now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He moaned, and I cried.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fortunately for me, she had only been dead about an hour.\u00a0 Not long enough to start smelling too badly.\u00a0 I was questioned by the police; after all, I was the only one there.\u00a0 Turned out that Louise had pneumonia.\u00a0 Maybe she knew how sick she was, but no one else did.\u00a0 We\u2019ll never know.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Colonel refused, if dogs can do that, to leave the house.\u00a0 I put a leash on his collar and started for my car, but he would have nothing do with that.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t physically pull him; he was just too strong and too stubborn.\u00a0 The police couldn\u2019t get near him.\u00a0 He let them know with great clarity that he was not going to vacate the premises.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I agreed to come and feed and water him every day until the authorities could figure out what to do with him.\u00a0 They took my number to stay in touch.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 From then on I visited The Colonel twice a day, before and after work.\u00a0 He would always be lying on Louise\u2019s bed, looking lost and pitiful.\u00a0 Sometimes he would get off the bed and come to my side.\u00a0 He leaned against me, and I tried to comfort him by petting and talking to him.\u00a0 He hung his head so low that his nose nearly dragged on the ground when he walked.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t eat or drink much.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After two weeks of the same routine, I arrived one Saturday morning and almost tripped over The Colonel when I walked in the front door.\u00a0 He was standing there waiting for me.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh\u2014Colonel.\u00a0 You\u2019re up today.\u201d\u00a0 His tail twitched slightly from side to side, as if he couldn\u2019t quite bring himself to let it wag.\u00a0 That was the first I had seen any movement of that appendage since Louise died.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre you feeling better?\u201d I asked.\u00a0 What was I doing\u2014talking to him like he was human?<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He walked over and nudged my hand with his big head.\u00a0 I knelt down and looked into eyes that pleaded with me to find Louise and bring her back to him.\u00a0 I let him lick my face. \u00a0His tail continued to sway slightly.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Colonel seemed to improve a little each day from then on.\u00a0 He was venturing out of his mourning somewhat.\u00a0 The defeated look never left, and it made me want to cry.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know animals could grieve, but The Colonel was very much in pain over losing his beloved master. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Since Louise had no family and no will was found, the decision of what to do with The Colonel rested in the hands of the State.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe are going to put the dog down,\u201d an attorney for the State told me over the phone about a month after Louise\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat?\u201d I couldn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2014you can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere are no heirs, and the dog won\u2019t leave the house.\u00a0 He\u2019s dangerous.\u00a0 We have no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2014please,\u201d I pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cDangerous?\u00a0 He\u2019s not dangerous.\u00a0 And, he\u2019s starting to get better, he\u2019s healing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSir, I don\u2019t care if he can follow you on command or not, we have to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNot heel, heal, as in from grieving.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The man thought I was crazy and said so in so many words.\u00a0 I was starting to wonder myself.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLet me take him.\u00a0 I\u2019ll adopt him,\u201d I said while wondering what my wife, Jenny, would say.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s up to the State, not you, and the decision has already been made.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCan\u2019t I just come and take care of him like I\u2019ve been doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But, no matter what I said, he insisted that The Colonel would have to be euthanized the next day.\u00a0 I hung up the phone in despair.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With my help, and since I was the only one who could get near The Colonel, a vet would perform the procedure at Louise\u2019s house.\u00a0 I decided to go and spend some time with him before the assisted-suicide squad got there.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I opened the door and there he stood, waiting for me.\u00a0 He might have thought I was on his side, but I felt like I had betrayed him.\u00a0 His tail was now wagging at maybe half the normal rate for a slightly content dog, but he still wasn\u2019t happy.\u00a0 I put my arms around his big neck and let him lick my face. \u00a0If there were only some way I could stop what was about to happen.\u00a0 I knew by now that adopting The Colonel was not the solution.\u00a0 Not only because they wouldn\u2019t let me but also because he probably would die anyway if taken away from his home.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I sat down on the couch and called him over to me.\u00a0 He jumped up and stretched out his massive body beside me, laying his head on my lap.\u00a0 I stroked his big floppy ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry Colonel.\u00a0 I wish I could take you home with me, but they won\u2019t let me.\u00a0 I tried, though.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0I continued to talk to him, explaining what was happening and telling him my regrets of not being able to change his fate.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The house was still, except for the sound of his breathing and the occasional doggie snore as he slept.\u00a0 How did I become so attached to this creature?\u00a0 I had never owned a dog, not even while growing up.\u00a0 Every time my boys would ask about getting one, I refused.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re too much trouble, cost too much, and make too much of a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The phone rang, breaking through my thoughts.\u00a0 Louise, being the old-fashioned lady that she was, had only one phone, a rotary, and that was in the kitchen.\u00a0 I wondered who it could be. \u00a0I didn\u2019t even know the phone was still hooked up. \u00a0The Colonel opened his eyes from his slumber as I lifted his head off my lap.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHello,\u201d I said into the receiver.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHi.\u00a0 Is this Paul Jacobson?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, yes it is.\u00a0 Who\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDr. Christie\u2014the veterinarian.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, hi.\u00a0\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 I\u2014how did you get this number?\u201d I asked him.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI tried calling your cell, but there was no answer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I reached into my pocket.\u00a0 Nope, no phone.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 I must\u2019ve left it in my car.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, I got you now.\u00a0 Louise\u2019s number was on some of the paperwork.\u00a0 Anyway, I thought you would probably be there already.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I wanted to spend some time with The Colonel before . . . \u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m running a little late,\u201d the vet interrupted me.\u00a0 \u201cShould be there in 15 minutes or so.\u201d\u00a0 This guy was no James Herriot.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 No problem.\u201d\u00a0 I hung up the phone, relieved that it wasn\u2019t quite time but also depressed at the impending procedure ahead.\u00a0 I shrugged my shoulders and got a drink of water.\u00a0 I decided I\u2019d better retrieve my phone from my car.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I walked back into the living room, The Colonel was still sprawled out on the couch.\u00a0 My spot there had disappeared, so I sat on the floor and leaned my head back.\u00a0 \u201cWell, buddy, you got a reprieve.\u00a0 A small one, but nevertheless . . . \u201d\u00a0 I closed my eyes and rested against the edge of the cushion.\u00a0 After a few minutes I realized there was no hot breath on my head nor was there any doggie snores emitting from the couch.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Colonel had died, sometime while I was in the kitchen or out at my car. I was amazed.\u00a0 This animal that I had come to have such great admiration for had somehow let go of his life before his so-called guardians could forcibly take it from him.\u00a0 I had to smile a little.\u00a0 Louise would\u2019ve been proud of her Colonel.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.\u00a0 The vet was standing there, doctoring bag in hand.\u00a0 A county sheriff was with him.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cUh, you\u2019re not going to believe this,\u201d I said to them.\u00a0 \u201cBut, The Colonel\u2014the dog\u2014just died on his own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d the vet said.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t believe you.\u00a0 Where is he?\u201d\u00a0 The virtue of patience was not one of his character traits.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I led them to where The Colonel lay on the couch.\u00a0 Dr. Christie checked him out and confirmed what I had already told him.\u00a0 \u201cYep.\u00a0 He\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The law officer was shocked.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean, that dog decided to die?\u00a0 Before we got here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI guess so,\u201d Dr. Christie said.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get him out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I left to let them take care of things, because I didn\u2019t want to watch them carry him out of the house.\u00a0 \u201cGood-bye Colonel ole\u2019 pal,\u201d I said as I shut the front door.\u00a0 I called Jenny on my way home and told her what had happened.\u00a0 She cried, even though she never knew him.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I thought I would be devastated when The Colonel died.\u00a0 Even though I was sad, I was more overjoyed that he was able to pass naturally and not at the hands of some stranger with a syringe.\u00a0 He died of a broken heart, missing his beloved master.\u00a0 I had been a temporary and poor substitute for the love of his life, and he simply could not go on without her.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When Jenny got home from work, I barely let her get in the door before I told her what I wanted to do.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGet a dog?\u00a0 You want to own<\/em> a dog?\u201d\u00a0 For a minute she just stood there with a look on her face that I had seen one other time\u2014when one of the boys flushed his brother\u2019s pet snake down the toilet. \u00a0\u201cReally?\u00a0 Who are<\/em> you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I want to get a dog.\u00a0 Come on\u2014let\u2019s go.\u00a0 And, quit looking at me like that.\u00a0 The kids are waiting in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah\u2014let\u2019s go.\u201d\u00a0 I already had my coat on.<\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, that\u2019s how we ended up with \u201cBlake,\u201d a German Shepherd mix from the local pound.\u00a0 We named him after Colonel Henry Blake, the character from M*A*S*H<\/em> and in honor of Louise\u2019s loyal companion.\u00a0 A month after getting him, the boys declared Blake to be the best dog in the world.\u00a0 Me, well I wasn\u2019t sure of his worthiness of that title just yet.\u00a0 It would be difficult for me to \u201cdethrone\u201d The Colonel from that position.\u00a0 Maybe someday . . .<\/p>\n \u00a92011 Tammy Maseberg All Rights Reserved<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was a driver for the City Bus.\u00a0 My line went up and down Cambridge Avenue, one of the main east-west thoroughfares of the city.\u00a0 The job was a good way to meet some interesting characters.\u00a0\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long to recognize the regulars; many became \u201cfriends\u201d of sorts.\u00a0 One of my most favorite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fictional-stories","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=90"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=90"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inhisstepsministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}