A New Friend

One day, Grace and I were taking a long walk with the dogs down a neighborhood side street. There inside the garage of one of the homes was this handsome guy, sitting on top of a grill. He reminded us of Stillwater from the book "Zen Shorts." I asked the people who were cleaning out the garage if they knew where we could find another like him.

"You want him? Take him," said the woman, carrying him down to us.

"My daughter has had him since she was a baby and now she's twenty-one. I was going to take him to the dumpster. He's all yours."





We stuffed him in the top of the stroller. Talley had a good sniff and Reese ignored him. The five of us took off back down the road and finished a very long stroll in the spring sunshine.

When we got home, Grace and I took baby wipes and cleaned him all over.

Sometime later this summer, he will probably get a full bath with the dogs and the hose.

Tonight, he is keeping watch over Grace as she sleeps.



He is a good friend.