Wednesday, 9 February 2005 - The power of kindness

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for the power of kindness.

It's 3 PM. T and I are walking in the park. An older man approaches us. I make T heel, a sign of respect. The man abruptly stops and asks if T is friendly. I state that T is very friendly and loves people (he's a chocolate Lab after all). The man looks sharply at T, takes a step back, and sternly warns, "You can never tell about dogs like him." As we move aside to let the man by, I assure him that T is a really good boy.

I dread facing the man again, but we need to walk at least one more lap. I imagine that the man had met a really mean chocolate Lab (an oxymoron?) in another life and the terrible memory forever haunts him. But, T as Cujo? I really don't think so.

The man is now about 25 feet away, walking towards us. "T already likes you a lot," I confess as we pass on the right. "Does he owe me money?" the man asks. This question catches me off guard. "What?" I ask. "Does he owe me money?" he repeats. This time, I detect a faint twinkle in the man's eyes. Now I get it. "Not yet!" I reply. Then I laugh while T acknowledges the joke with high-spirited tail wagging.

This morning, the man was in the park again. T and I didn't see him until he yelled to us. I turned around as he stepped from the trail onto the greenbelt. Here's our exchange:

The man: "Hello there!"
Me (smiling): "Good morning. How are you?"
The man: "Fine. You know, you're very lucky that your dog takes you for a walk."
Me (with a laugh): "I know. He's a really good boy."

We wave to each other before going our separate ways. A new friend - probably not. A sign that it's going to be a great day - definitely.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.