Comfort comes in many ways..warm hugs, tissues handed over to wipe away tears, offers to care for children, a kind word and smile as you pass by each other.
Sometimes life gives us hard things to handle.
We put up a strong front, but
silent tears betray our stoic words.
For the last eight weeks, I've watched two young sisters struggle as they adjust to living in our home again. Their stories are hard. I feel helpless as I grasp for anything to ease the pain. A huge sense of responsibility bears down on me to keep them safe and help them heal while they are in our care.
The story is a familiar one in our family. It begins like this:
"Can we get a dog?"
"Not right now. Maybe in the spring."
And then on the day I sit across from her and watch her face, tears streaming down her cheeks, and listen to her words, "I don't need anyone,"
I know.
She needs.
She needs that dog she's been begging for.
And so continues the story...
My daughter was visiting that night. Two conspirators, she and I began the hunt. We searched Petfinder.com, marking our favorites. Polly was our number one choice. She's a chocolate lab mix from the Powell Animal Welfare Society.
My husband walked in as we were searching and I asked him, "Hey, don't you have a friend who fosters dogs?"
After a few texts with his friend he looked up, "Yep. He fosters for Powell Animal Welfare Society."
"Hey that's where Polly is from. Does he know her?"
Another text. "You aren't going to believe this. He is fostering her this weekend."
My daughter and I looked at each other and said at the same time, "It's a sign."
My heart began to hope. Might she be the answer we've been seeking?
We learned Polly's story. She was found on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She was in need of her own humans to love her. Our initial meeting was successful to say the least. It seemed that she was just what our family needed and we were what she needed too.
Polly came to live with us last night. In keeping with our To Kill a Mockingbird theme for our kids' dogs' names (Scout, Jem, Harper, and Caroline), Polly is now called Callie after Calpurnia, the Finch's housekeeper.
We are in love with her already. She brings a sense of comfort that only a dog can bring. The future feels promising.
