Goodness

I see her every afternoon as I wait to pick up Emma at school. She comes out before all the other kids, holding on to the arm of a teacher. With some degree of difficulty, she makes her way over to the bench and sits down.

I can't begin to imagine exactly what her disability is, but if I had to guess I would figure it to be muscular dystrophy or something akin. No matter what ails her physically, she never fails to keep on smiling. Even when there's no one paying any attention to her, she sits on her bench and lights up the world with her bright grin. She's a cute little thing.

Then I saw HER yesterday.

She made her way across the parking lot as quickly as three legs would allow.  I'd seen her out there before, but she never ventured all the way across the long lot to where the kids were.  I wondered if the administrators would shoo her away. 

She obviously belonged to someone, seeing how she was looked very well-fed and was wearing a collar.  She looked like some mix of Labrador Retriever and who knows what else.  It appeared that her body had never quite snapped back from having puppies some time back.  (I FEEL YOU, MAMA DOG.  I DO.)

As she quickly ambled her way over, she stopped and scratched as best as three legs would allow her to do.  She made a beeline for the little girl.

I held my breath, wondering what would happen next.

The little girl smiled brightly.  If I'm lying, I'm dying--that dog smiled right back at her.

They greeted each other like old friends.  The dog curled around the little girl's feet (and even though I couldn't hear it, I know she did it), breathed a contented sigh.

The little girl reached down and stroked Mama Dog's head.  Mama Dog looked up into the little girl's eyes.  In that moment, I saw pure joy...bliss...no judgment.

As I blinked back tears, I realized it was a good day.