Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I wasn’t sure why my daughter and grandchildren were so willing to make the sacrifices they did today just to go the veterinarian with me and our dog. Austin wanted to spend the night just so he could wake up early enough to be at the vet’s office by 8:00 with Buddy, our Boston Terrier. Cole spent the night as well, and all kids were up by 7:00 AM ready to go to the vet. It was just as loud and confusing as the first day of school. They argued about holding Buddy in the car, walking him in, and holding him in the office. I couldn’t understand their need to go to the vet when they could have slept in or sat on the couch watching television while eating a bowl of cereal. To me, the latter would be much more appealing. I thought for a while about their desire to go…was it because they wanted to provide support to our four-legged family member who would be visiting the doctor, was it because they were curious about the procedures that needed to be done, or was it because they wanted the vet to see his loving family? Before I overanalyzed it too much I decided to ask them why they wanted to go. 

These were their replies:

Grace said, “For the cuteness and the entertainment in the car”

Cole said, “Because there are other dogs there”

Austin said, “I just want to see the shot”

Isabell said, “Because Austin and Cole are going”

Their responses were so simple. They knew why they wanted to go, and all for a different reason. And then Austin asked me why I wanted to go. I replied, “Because someone has to drive.”  I guess we all do things everyday just because specific duties are required of us, not necessarily for any particular reason. The next time I find myself questioning a specific situation I will try to be less analytical and accept things as they are, even it means taking four kids to the vet at 8:00 AM with my one dog.

Austin and Cole spent the night so they were the first visitors of the day. Melissa came over around noon. Harlee arrived around 1:00 and stayed for just a little while. Jeff brought 3 buckets of gravel over this evening to help fill a small ditch. He left with a plate of pork chops, mashed potatoes, pinto beans, and cornbread…a trade for the gravel.

5 visitors today, 30 in all.