Friend Time

Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge have friends. Real canine friends. Did you know that?

Take Gracie for example. Gracie is my twin sister's dog (yes, I have an identical twin). Gracie and her family live only fifteen minutes from our house (here, outside of Philadelphia, we measure distances in driving minutes --it's a traffic thing), and we see them often.

Gracie is a Golden Retriever, not a Lab, but she's still retriever. :o) And a beautiful one at that.

Take a look (photos compliments of my sister):

























You can probably tell from these pictures that Gracie and Elsie have similar personalities: low-key, snuggly, and ever-playful. Gracie is more submissive, though--lower on the canine heirarchy than Elsie. She rolls often. :o) It's funny how dogs identify themselves that way.

Gracie lived with us for a couple of weeks while her Mom and Dad were in Africa on a short-term mission trip, and ever since she seems to know where she fits with our crew. And she loves us all. Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge love her, too.

Gracie and Elsie, in particular, are buds. They've had "play dates" since they were pups. They're about the same age (Gracie is older by a few months), they're both female, and they get along famously. They love being together.

So we arrange for them to play together regularly, either at my sister's house or mine. We both have fenced yards, so the "kids" can play and run and race and tease and wrassle at will.

Dogs need buds to romp with (that's why we've always had at least two dogs).

People do, too. I'm glad for my "buds." And just as I make time for our canine kids to play with their friends, I'm learning make time for my friends, too. "Friend time" has become a priority.

How easily we forget how much we need each other. Gracie and Elsie remind me of my need, and I'm learning to listen to their reminder.

That's a good thing--a lesson I wish I'd learned sooner.

But as George Elliot once said, "It's never too late to become who you might have been."

'Til next time,
Joan