Day 788

Celebrating Sammy with Pup Cups from the DQ! All four Goldens "wolfed" them down in no time at all! Sam also received a chew bone of his very own! Two years!

It is so easy to become lazy in regard to celebrations, acknowledgements and special moments in time. There have been times when I have briefly tried to convince myself that one of these connections might not be needed and that the recipient would never miss my attempt to honor them. That moment is ignored and one of my favorite mantras rises before my eyes:

"Always err on the side of kindness."

To share a recent example, Asher and I often frequent the community pool in the afternoon. Yesterday was no exception and everything seemed to go in a normal direction until "the event"...

I was sitting on the side of the pool throwing rings in for Asher to retrieve from the bottom of the pool. As he was paddling back my way, with the rings in his hand, I noticed one of our neighbors lifeguarding for the day. Smiling, as I remembered the day she was born, I noticed that her stance had changed. She became alert, leaned towards the water and started to kick off her flip flops. I tried to follow her gaze, but could see nothing amiss. Suddenly, she did that amazing Life Guard leap into the pool and raced towards a little girl who was struggling in the deeper water. Reaching her, she held her up and checked for any distress. The little one was frightened, but seemed to be generally alright. Our sweet neighbor was joined by other Life Guards as they started to search for the adult responsible for the child. By now, other swimmers and adults on the sidelines were watching with great interest. I had tears in my eyes at both the closeness of a near drowning and the pride I felt in witnessing our young friend in action. Reuniting them, there was a 'discussion' and, later, I saw the child wearing water wings with an adult nearby. I believe our young neighbor intervened at just the right moment. She averted a catastrophe and took it in stride. What a girl!

So, as we continue to celebrate our Sammy's big day, I will carve out a little time to write a card to our Hero. She isn't expecting anything, but I want her to know how special she is.

Don't be afraid to mail the card, make the phone call or send an email. "Always err on the side of kindness."