Bailey the Pup

MyHandsomeHusband and I have never owned a pet in the past 26 years of our marriage. Not a dog or a cat or even a lizard. (We don’t even like to pet or woo or swoon over other peoples dogs, cats or lizards!) We did come home from a White Elephant Party once with a goldfish in tow.  We were able to keep that poor fish alive for all of 12 hours.

Suffice it to say, we are not pet people.

But that was pre-corona.

That was back when kids went to school every day, husbands commuted to work, saints could attend church and no one ever dreamed of wearing a face mask to the grocery store.

Over the past 7 months life has changed so much, hasn’t it? It really is astounding.

Our kids saw this change as their window of opportunity. They had begged and pleaded for a dog for years and we (in our corona state of mind) were finally convinced that they needed one.

And they did.

 

 

What we didn’t know was that MyHandsomeHusband and I needed her too. Say hello to Bailey the Pup.

She’s so adorable none of us can resist her. She’s given us something to share, take care of, talk about, puzzle over, work together on and has generally wrapped our hearts around her in ways we didn’t know were possible.

 

It’s been fascinating to see her adapt to our family and learn new things.

One thing she is not a fan of is going on walks. The poor little lady is absolutely terrified of leaving our house.

I have to tuck her under my arm and walk her seven or eight houses away before she is brave enough to follow me out on an adventure. More often than not she’ll sit in the middle of the sidewalk and stare at me with eyes that say “No. I will not walk away from that safe place again today.”

I tuck her under my arm again while the poor pup literally shivers with fear. We walk for a bit while I say things like…”You got this, girl!” and “Be brave, little lady. There are a lot of great things to see!” and “You’re going to like how this turns out! Truly! There is life beyond our house!”

After this coaxing, encouragement and sometimes with the pull of a leash, she’ll trot along for a time. Pretty cautiously, and very slowly.

However, once we turn around and start to head for home this pup is on a dead run. Full steam ahead, she runs back to the security of home with adorable enthusiasm.

And boy can I relate with Bailey the Pup. I want to stick with the familiar, with what I know is good and wonderful. I long for many of the securities of our pre-corona world. Simple things I took for granted before, like…knowing my boys will be able to go to school every day, all year long. I want to gather with large groups of people and be able to see their faces without the barrier of a mask, I want to hug old friends I run into at the grocery store, I want to hop on a plane and travel, I want to worship in the temple whenever I choose.

2020 has definitely been a bumpy ride, full of unpredictability and a lot of fear. And yet, if I’m being honest…looking back over the past 7 months not only has our world changed a lot, but so have we. We are better at handling disappointment. We are more able to adapt to change. We’ve had more time together as families becoming more dependent on and appreciative of each other. Life has slowed down in some areas, and that has been a relief.

Looking forward to a new version of normal, I can’t help but think there are great things ahead for all of us. I’m grateful for a loving God who sees the whole picture. The whole path. The whole journey. The whole plan.  I imagine him coaxing and encouraging us along the way with words like…”You got this, girl!” and “You are going to like how this turns out.” I’m hoping for that.

This is my adorable niece with Bailey the Pup. Couldn’t you just kiss them both until the end of time. 🙂

My love to all of you!