When my son Stephen was four years old, I often found a sleepy boy in the mornings who did not want to rush to get dressed to go to pre-school. One morning he rolled over, glancing sideways at our dog Penny who was snoozing away. and with a slight moan said, "I wish I was a dog." "Hmmm..." i responded. "You wish you were a dog?" "Yep. Dogs don't have to go to school."
Now Stephen is no longer four, but forty. As a loving master of several dogs since his teenage years, he has a great gift for convincing dogs that "Life is good." He and his wife Cindy, who live in Grand Rapids, are the proud owners of Ginger, a Weimaramer/Lab Mix. As I visit here this week, I wonder, who wouldn't love to live the life of Ginger?
She starts her day with a romp in the Gladstone neightborhood where friendly neighbors call her by name. She curls up on the soft couch for naps, lifting her head now and then to check on the activty of birds and squirrels. Noon brings either Steve or Cindy home on lunch break to greet her. More naps or chewing on her big bone. The long afternoon walk all over East Grand Rapids or a ride in the van is a big adventure. Today her new toy is a chicken which makes a wonderful squeak. After a little keep away game she curls up again on Steve's feet, happily tired after another day in the life of Ginger.
