The Perfect Gift

            A friend I kept from High School was always remembering my children with an array of gifts; especially at Christmas. She often said,

            “Don’t buy anything for me. I enjoy buying for the children.”

            It was this way for years. She was single. Her life was built around her dog, Alexander. When visiting her one day, we watched as Alexander played fetch with her. She threw a tennis ball and the dog ran and got it. In his mouth he brought the ball. He dropped it in front of her. He was waiting for her to throw again. She did this until eventually the dog got tired and laid down beneath her feet to rest. And then the idea came. I would discuss with the children later.

            I knew it would be hard to match my friend’s kindness. I wouldn’t even try. But she had given to my children. And so; I would give to her child. Being she was single and no children, the dog had in a sense become her child. But again, I didn’t want to buy as she said not to buy anything. And so; I talked my idea over with the children.

            We went to the park often and near the park was a tennis court. People played there often and left their tennis balls. It was hard to believe they didn’t see them as the area was clear of any debris. But yet; players left balls frequently. For months at a time, we collected left tennis balls. By Christmas, we had accumulated more than a hundred.

            And so, here was, “The Perfect Gift.” We didn’t buy anything. We weren’t giving her anything. We would give to her baby. It would be hard for her to refuse. After the children finished opening their Christmas presents from my friend, they waited around to watch her open hers. I brought from another room a large box wrapped with her name on it and pushed it in front of her. She asked,

            “What’s this?”

            “It’s a gift for you!”

            “I told you not to buy me anything.”

            “We didn’t!” I replied, “Just open it!”

            As she opened it and saw the contents, she began to laugh,

            “I love it! Where did you get all these tennis balls?”

            The story was told on how we had collected them. She couldn’t seem to stop laughing,     “Alexander will love these,” She continued,”He tears them up so fast. Tennis balls can be expensive.”

            “Not when you find them.” I snickered.

            “If you all should see any more at the park when you go, I’ll take them. But then, I’m not asking?”

            Laughing ourselves, we agreed. It was a simple task to accomplish. The children are all grown up now. The friend somehow disappeared when the children grew up and Alexander passed away. But a tennis ball found even today may still wind up in the trunk of my car. There’s a dog out there somewhere in need of a tennis ball to play with.

            It was a wonderful time of days gone by, but still the memory of it still manages to live on.

Quirks

The definition of quirk is:  (1) idiosyncrasy; deviation (2) a quick turn.  This really did not tell me a whole lot.  In checking definition of idiosyncrasy; which is not one of my every day words, it is defined as a peculiarity; as of behavior.  Okay, do dogs have quirks?  I think maybe so.

My dog, Zundel, would ride in the back seat with her head sticking out the rolled down window.  The wind was blowing in her hair.  It like kids will do if allowed.  My husband and I were in the front seat.  But when I didn’t go along with my husband, Zundel jumped right in the front seat sitting up as a human. I got lots of teasing by those saying, “I thought that was you in the front seat.”  Yea, right, they couldn’t tell the difference?   But I am amazed on how dogs travel in back seats with heads sticking out, in backs of trucks, etc. and no attempt to jump out.  Could this be a quirk?

Grandma was way up in age.  We used to hate going over and visiting while she was watching television.  Right in the middle of the television screen as close as she could get, she sat.  We couldn’t see anything.  And what became a double dose of this was when her dog started sitting beside her.  A dog was watching television.  Was this a quirk?

When growing up those many years ago, dogs seemed to be part of our lives.  They were not without adding a bit of humor to every day routine.  On the front porch laid our dog, Curly.  She was fast asleep.  We started to awake her when Mother said;  “Don’t wake her!  Let sleeping dogs lie.”

Was that were that saying came from?

But I remember wanting to wake her.  Curly was jerking, twisting and you name it.  But Mother wasn’t finished.       

“She’s chasing a rabbit in her dream,” she continued, “Don’t you want to let her catch it?”

I actually believed it.

The dog was dreaming.  Do they dream or was it just a behavior thing?  Was it a quirk?

I imagine we've all seen our dogs do funny things.  We see them do things that no other dog could possibly have done.  Our dogs are special.  They can add to everyday lives.  Every dog I have ever owned has brought out good feelings.  And to this day, I laugh at some of their humorous behavior.  A dog can become a true asset to a family.  I wouldn't take anything for the memories they left me.