A Boy and His Dog

Joseph,

Do you remember all the times you begged us for a dog?  You were relentless, as you usually are.  You wanted to work at the animal shelter just to work with dogs.  You told me of all the things you would do with your dog if you had one.  You were going to walk your dog, feed your dog, play with your dog, train your dog, sleep with your dog.  Do you remember?

By the grace of God, we got you the best dog in the world.  She is everything you ever wanted.  She is big.  She is smart.  She is loyal.  She is gentle.  She is trained.  She is amazing!  And of all the family members, you are the last to appreciate this. 

So do you remember last night?  Do you remember going to bed without telling us goodnight?  Going to bed early again due to your disrespect?  It has been the same thing for the last two nights.  But what made last night so sad is the way you came home from school.

You were so happy about your day at school.  At wrestling practice you had wrestled Z and won!  You were so proud!  You were full of stories, smiles, laughter.  After dinner, as always, everyone had chores and homework.  It was your easy night of chores.  I told you to make sure your room was clean, pick up trash on the stairs, and take the dog for a walk.

And the sweet, happy, smiling boy went away.  You got angry because you could not watch T.V. until you took the dog outside.  You thought it would be okay to just let her run around without a leash.  You did not care that she could get run over or picked up by the pound.  You just did not feel like finding the leash, putting it on her, and walking her outside for, at the most, 5 minutes.  You let her out anyway.  She ran.  You told someone else to go get her.  We told YOU to go get her.  Then you let your mouth start.  You said this was all stupid.  She was fine.  You said I was getting worked up and over reacting.  You got sent to bed.  And I sat here wondering why.  Why does that happy little boy always have to go away?  Why do our happy evenings always have to end on such an unhappy note?  Was it really that hard to walk the dog?

So today is Friday.  To say I'm dreading the next three days is an understatement.  What you don't know is how sick I've been lately.  How hard I am trying to make you happy.  How very much I love you!  Please try.  Put the effort out.  Love your siblings.  Love the life that God has blessed you with.  And love your dog!

Love,
Mom