Recently, a co-worker stopped by my small cubicle, snarled
up his nose and asked, “Man, how many dog pictures do you need in here?”
I told him that I hadn’t given it much thought. He sighed
and walked away.
He’s one of “those” people who can’t understand my close
pack relationship with seven fur balls that wet the floor, take up all the space
in the bed, shed on the furniture, and chew up my belongings.
But his comment had lit curiosity. How many pictures did I
have? I began a slow spin in my
swiveling chair to count the images decorating my office space.
There are framed photos, photo copies, post cards, photos in
magnetic sleeves, photos on little clips, and photos taped or pinned up. There
are tiny frames and large frames, some with one opening, others with multiple
ones, and so on.
These contain pictures of Better Half and each of my kids:
Lucy, Charlie, Pearl, Hines, Daisy, Bart, ,Sebastian and Linus. I have pictures of my
foster dogs, of rescue dogs whose adoption I was able to help with, of animal
friends that I have made over the years, and of those who have left this world
for a better place.
Atop the cabinet that encloses my work area, there are
pictures of Charlie and Lucy as pups. There is one displaying the first time I
ever held Daisy in my arms. I have a
tiny framed picture of Bart, sitting on my shoulder on his first day at Dogwood.
There’s another of Better Half getting “lubbins”.
On my left are pictures of Hines, the rat terror (I mean
terrier). One was taken on Hine’s first
day. He looks tense, worried, and not so certain of his surroundings. The one beside
it was taken after he had been established as my “special little guy”: relaxed,
confident in his place and in his affections.
The images are like night and day.
There are pictures of birthdays, back yard shenanigans, and cheesy
grins. There pictures of my kids napping,
chewing the cushions off the couch, peeing on the rug, and doing other “cute”
things that have made them infamous.
On the shelf above my head sits a framed image of my sweet
Pearl, lying in her favorite basket by the back window. , This photo has its
own special place, and of all my pictures of her, this one is my favorite.
I miss my little girl.
I recently added some pics of our newest addition: LINUS. He came to us broken--but you all know that Dogwood has a healing effect. Linus has turned out to be a Daddy's boy--and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I recently added some pics of our newest addition: LINUS. He came to us broken--but you all know that Dogwood has a healing effect. Linus has turned out to be a Daddy's boy--and I wouldn't have it any other way.
As I examined my photos, I forgot all about counting them. These moments, captured forever and displayed in
funny little squares for all to see, are very precious to me.
Those happy, innocent, furry faces have a power to warm my
heart and make me smile in times of stress, or when I’m just having a crappy
day.
How many pictures do I have? Let’s just say there are a lot.
How many grins, chuckles, happy thoughts, and warm feelings
do they provide?
The number is infinite, priceless, and very cherished.
There are never enough frames to capture the smiles and love they give us...
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