Day 1553

Charlie and the Golden Boys are exhausted after a romping weekend and a ride home from the cottage. It takes two vehicles to maneuver our pack hither and yon, so the pups ride with Ranger in my Subaru while Gus and Sam jump in with Mac. It seems to stress them all out to be separated, but we’d need a pretty big car to transport the entire family! Right now, they are reunited and snoozing around me while I write…the perfect situation.

Always grateful for our little place on the lake, this weekend brought extra blessings. In our walks and golf cart adventures, we saw the resident eagle friend, deer, a muskrat, a white squirrel and a host of other wildlife. We also ran into many neighbors and enjoyed lovely visits. Dear Asher and I were able to swim and take long walks together as well…a wonderful weekend!

On one of our golf cart jaunts, we met a lovely lady walking two Goldens! The older dog was a Therapy Dog while the pup was in training. Our new friend, Brenda, was delightful and we soon found much in common. The most surprising connection was with a mutual friend that has really made a positive impact on his world.

My first Therapy Dog was Arthur…a huge reddish Golden with a heart as big as all outdoors. At Mercy Hospital, there was a staff member named Amy who connected with us because of out mutual love for dogs. Part of Mercy’s Administration, our new buddy shared about a family mental health journey where the young person was saved by his dog (How could he hurt himself without his dog being distraught?). Amy went on to get a golden of her own and, with Willow at her side, created “You’re Not Alone”. Her new organization places Therapy Dog teams in middle school councilor’s offices where the dogs comfort and connect with teens who need professional help and guidance. Amy and Willow built their nonprofit from one team to 72 and counting! I am in awe of Amy and how she is helping teens face their challenges!

Meeting Brenda (one of those 72 teams) was not by chance. There was a reason for that meeting and I look forward to future visits and a budding friendship.

The chain of “serendipitous meetings” continues and our Therapy Dogs seem to be making this world a better place exponentially!