Who Wins?
On the last Wednesday of each month, I will be publishing Nova’s Tales – stories written by my mom’s dog, Nova. This story was first written in July 2020
Who Wins?
Two years ago, after someone found me homeless with my two puppies, I finally found my “forever home” with an older couple and their daughter, Amanda. I was so excited and thrilled that I broke a few items doing laps in this new place! They called themselves grandpa and grandma, because they said they were just too old to be a dad and mom to an energetic 2-year-old!
Who Wins?
Since then I established a reputation as unchallenged defender of my block (ask the vicinity chihuahuas, the mail carrier or the delivery drivers, who trespass my porch far more frequently these days). I am also self-perceived queen of the entire ‘hood – 45 pounds of sheer muscle and sporting my fancy polka-dot collar. But being a queen doesn’t necessarily always go too well. I find many challenges and distractions as I patrol my realm.
Who Wins?
I heard someone say that in these months of quarantine, we dogs win. Maybe so! My grandma stays home more than she used to. She even works sometimes in her jammies in the room with the shiny screen. I possess a pretty expansive vocabulary for a canine, and I know that I should settle down for a nap when she says, “I’m working now.” I love
having her home with me. My grandpa and Amanda aren’t here anymore, and I miss them so much! (Grandma said they both went last year to some place called heaven.)
Two Things:
Thing Number One:
But my favorite time – aside from breakfast, cookies and dinner – is when she grabs her house key, sunglasses, a plastic bag, and my leash! But here’s the thing—actually two things. Thing number one: Our walks are more than walks. Grandma talks aloud and even sometimes sings while we’re walking: “Nova, smell those lilacs – can you feel Him? Nova, listen to how loud the birds are this morning – can you hear Him? Nova, look at the blue true sky- can you see Him?” And the singing isn’t half- bad if she keeps the volume down.
My grandma talks to everyone
Now my grandma tends to be a bit chatty, and I – if I do say so myself – am a people magnet. Once a guy even stopped his car and approached us just to ask what type of breed I am. Sounded like a flimsy pick-up line to me, but grandma
handled it well. We stop and talk to all kinds of people. We dogs are known to be color blind, yet I can tell that many of the people grandma talks to have much darker skin than she has. Once someone used words that she could not understand, so she actually tried hand signals!
She makes sure to wave at those people in uniforms who drive around in SUVs with lights on the top. Sometimes one of them will stop to talk too. Mostly she chats about stuff like the weather, how to grow grass, why the tomato plants in the new garden in the alley are wilting. She even pretended to know what this young guy was explaining to us about the engine problem with his vintage Corvette.
Just last week we talked to a nice lady who said I was so very well behaved. (I put on a good front). She said that she could trim my nails in her home. �� And grandma keeps trying to make friends with a gang of kiddos who sit on her flowers. They even dare to throw stones onto my porch!
Special Times
But then we experience special times– times when someone will tell my grandma their struggles. They usually tell her about how hard it is to keep working and buy food and pay for other things. She asks them if she can do something called pray. So she gets the person’s name and then stretches out her hands (apparently there is no touching right now, although I wouldn’t mind an extra ear scratch or tummy rub) and talks to someone else who doesn’t appear to be around. I’m a good dog (every morning I get a generous lump of peanut butter with a pill inside), so I wait patiently. I sense this is something important.
Thing Number Two:
And here is thing number two: Grandma spends way more time than before with this large book in her lap. She reads out loud, even though it’s just me and her. And I learned a new word: “Psalm.” Then she spends way more time than she used to talking to the aforementioned person, who doesn’t appear to be there with us. When she talks to him about grandpa and Amanda, her eyes are wet and salty. And she often uses these two words that I know: “thank you,” and even puts my name (and the cat’s name – seriously?) after the “thank you.” She also uses words like “praise, love, forgive, heal.” I’m smart enough to know that I must tame my energy during this time. And I see a certain peace on my grandma’s face.
Who Wins?
Do I win during the quarantine? Yup, I sure do! But my grandma wins even more. She’s met more people than ever in our neighborhood. She’s tried to show them her peace and love, and how that comes from the unseen person. I understand that He made the world and all the people and dogs like me,. Yes, He even made cats, squirrels and those yappy chihuahuas. I guess that the quarantine has lifted a little now, but even if grandma isn’t home as much as she was, I know that thing one and thing two have made my grandma stronger and closer to someone she calls the Holy Spirit. And me– I’m one blessed dog!
Nova ♡
