As I type, curled up on our family’s love-seat, while “It’s a Wonderful Life” plays before me, a sweet little puppy lays curled up at my Christmas socked feet.

We didn’t mean to welcome another doggie into our family, but fate certainly did.

* * *

Last night while Michael and I wrapped presents in the kitchen our bird clock* struck 10 o’clock; our Sadie Girl bird.

“Merry Christmas, Sadie Girl,” Michael sadly said while a big lump and even bigger tears welled up in my eyes.

{I did it; I wished for another dog.}

* * *

I needed milk, celery, a white onion, and a few more stocking stuffers.  I always worry about having enough stocking stuffers, so David and I set off to Wal-Mart.  Then we stopped at the drug store, and then we came home.  As soon as we did Michael set off with Mikey and Olivia for the barber shop where Mikey gets his current high-and-tight cut.   It was around noon and I asked Benny if he wanted a hot-dog from Dairy Queen.   I don’t know a kid who’d refuse that offer.  And off we went.

On the way home my van came nose-to-nose with the sweetest little puppy in the world.

“Mama, Mama! He’s under the van, Mama!  Don’t move, Mama.  Don’t move!”

I hit my hazard lights and got out to see where the pooch was hiding.

He was under the driver’s side sliding door when I coaxed him out.

He wouldn’t get from under my feet, so I did the only thing I knew I could do.  I got him into the van.

“Are we gonna keep him, Mama?”

“I dunno, Baby.”

{I hope, I said in a whisper.}

* * *

Written by Michael in an email to his Mom:

Mikey, Olivia, and I drove up to city hall to drop off the water bill and go to Dahlonega for Mikey’s haircut.  Down the road from the house we saw this dog in the road and honked to scare him off.  We saw him again coming back down the road, but this time he was in the elementary school’s parking lot.  We drove on to Dahlonega.  We’re sitting at the old barber shop watching Mikey get scalped and Mishelle calls…. “This dog darted out in front of my van and he crawled underneath it when I stopped.  I brought him home and he’s so scared.”  Yep, same dog we saw.  FATE.

Aw shit.  I told her to call the dog catcher to come get him.  They were closed until next week.  Aw shit, FATE.  She bathed and fed him (he ate two whole bowls of food and drank a bunch of water, poor little guy).  She wants to keep him, she told me on the phone.  AW SHIT.

Well, we got home and he was clean, cute, and happy to have been fed.  Looks like we have another dog unless someone claims him in the next week or two.  I’m going to run an ad in the paper and we’ll look out for “missing puppy” signs.  I guess after two weeks he is ours.

Introducing, Nicky:

Yes, we’ll keep an eye out for signs, but I’m already convinced that he was meant to be a part of our family.   I’m convinced that he was sent to us by our Sadie Girl.

{Fate’s a funny thing.}

*bird clock:  a clock we’ve had forever in our kitchen that has a different bird sing at the top of each our.  The ten o’clock bird sings, “Sadie Girl, girl girl girl girl… Sadie Girl, girl, girl, girl, girl…”