Grammy Jo and Papa have a new addition to their family - after we brought home our new little ball of white fluff, they were inspired to get a little ball of black fluff.And so enters Riker the puppy. Or, as the little man pronounces it, "Wrecker."
The little man was thrilled when Papa stopped by our house on his way home from picking up the new puppy from the breeder, which was in a neighboring state. Fortunately, our home was about halfway between the two, so the little man got to meet the new puppy and get some Papa time.
From the very start, Riker and the little man were buddies. The little man liked that the puppy was so small (just 3 pounds) and I think the puppy liked that the little man was smaller, too. Before long they were running about the house with the other dogs, the best of friends.
It has now been several weeks since we saw Riker - but the little man still hasn't forgotten his little buddy. Fortunately for him, we will be puppy-sitting this week and Riker will be joining our family for a few days. The anticipation has been building up in the little man.
Last week, the little man had the opportunity to be named "Helper of the Day" for his preschool class. This important position means the helper gets to help the teacher do everything that day - even having to say the morning prayer. The little man, ever the performance artist, was excited to be able to say the prayer for the day. I asked him that morning what he was going to say.
"I awlready know what I'm going to pray for," he said with a big smile. "I awlready thought about it. You're supposed to pray for something special to you, to keep them safe."
I walked the little man down the hallway to his class.
"Have a good day," I said as I kissed him goodbye. "Have fun Mr. Helper."
Later that day, when I picked up my beaming Helper of the Day, he had to tell me all about how he helped the teacher and was a "zillion good" as the Helper of the Day.
"So, did you say your prayer for Mommy and Daddy?" I asked.
"No," he replied.
"Papa? Grammy Jo? Nana?" I asked, going through the list of usuals.
"No," the little man said.
"Well then who? You did get to say the prayer, didn't you?" I asked.
"I said a prayer for Wrecker," the little man said, smiling. "Because he's just a little baby dog, and God needs to keep him safe."
The little man was beaming, proud of his prayer.
And somewhere, up above, the little man's prayer was undoubtedly heard for his little friend.
