This is the face that my son read aloud his spelling words to.  Those are the wrinkles that he cleaned with a soft cloth every morning.  And those are the eyes that listened, without words, to everything my son told him.

Meet Tucker.  Tucker is a 6-month young bull-dog that visited our home for 7 days.  The experience was something I never expected. …

The morning walks turned into a source of empowerment and strength for my son (and Tucker) as they both learned how to communicate with each other.  Sitting on the pavement with feet sprawled forward, my son would talk with him about being strong and not giving up.  He used words like, “Come on Tucker, I know this is hard, but I promise you’ll like this walk to the corner,” and, “Tucker, it is okay to take a break.  I take them a lot.”   I truly wish I could have been that butterfly that floated beside the wobbly, stocky legs and my son’s open heart.  Maybe I would have heard about the Lego pirate ship that destroyed the alien invasion or maybe I would have learned why eating food is so difficult or why staying asleep for a full night is a worthy celebration.

The conversation between Tucker and my son was, and still is, something sacred.  Only Tucker knows.

My joy is found in knowing that my son made a deep connection with Tucker.  Yes, his face is full of wrinkles and he likes to cuddle when he sleeps.  However, Tucker, served as the listening ear that never responded with words.  He listened with wet, slimy kisses and head-butts and a wiggly (very short) tail wag.

So, in our distant future, there is a dog and a big back yard.  In our future there is a boy and his dog who play together, who talk about things of the heart, and who run after alien ships.

Thank you, Tucker.  You are welcome to our tiny home anytime.