Looking for Joy – A boy and his dog

Every morning about 6am our youngest child, Gabriel, pitter-patters his two year old feet down the stairs from his bedroom to tell stories to our dog, Leanna. Every morning.

He will march to the corner of the living room where Leanna is asleep in her bed and he’ll cuddle up to her as close as humanly and doginly (is this a word?!) possible. Just look at those pictures, it’s like that every morning. He’ll stay in the dog bed for an hour reading and making up stories for Leanna.

The scene can overwhelm me. Both the fact that Gabriel loves that dog so much, and the fact that Leanna lets him do it is just pure joy. At that moment there is no where else in the world that boy had rather be and he is there, right in the middle of his vision of pure heaven.

As the morning greats me each day, Gabriel and Leanna provide the reminder to enjoy the simple things, to get up early, to take my time drinking coffee, and to let my mind wander to wherever it may roam. You don’t have to be old to be wise, you just have to know how to love. Little Gabriel has that by the bucket full.

A boy and his dog. That is a good thing.