Be Prepared, For Kindness Is Within Us All

This is Dempsey, she is the newest member of our family, an 11 week old ball of fur and cuteness and energy, and she brought me so much more than I was prepared for. Not everything that comes to us comes when we are mindfully prepared, but if we don't practice kindness and love, we may not be prepared when it is time.

I've been searching for a puppy for more than a year, always one application too late, one fence less than needed, 10 miles too far out of the adopting area. This time, I saw her and was prepared to battle for her. My friends and family coached me for days on how to "just go in there and get her, take no prisoners, have no mercy". We woke up at 5am, drove 2 hours and camped outside of the PetSmart, 4 hours before she would arrive in her tiny little crate. I was prepared. We had coffee, snacks, comfy chairs and we were first. She was ours and I finally exhaled....

A mom and son came in, 8 minutes after I signed in, I saw the disappointment in their faces and I tried to justify why she belonged to me; I was there first and I wanted her more. We waited on the bench for the puppies and after a slight awkward silence she asked if I was the one who signed in first, my heart sunk, I no longer felt like I had won, I felt conflicted. She explained how her son had found a heart on the puppy and that it was a sign from his dad who had passed away; my stomach turned and my eyes wanted to well into tears, but we made small talk as my husband held my hand tightly--he knew. She was nice, her son was endearing and I couldn't find a justification as to why that puppy belonged to me.

She finally arrived in her tiny crate with her sister, they were placed in a play pen and I just soaked her into my memory. I picked her up; I just wanted to hold her, smell her, and give her my blessing, so I did then put her down and told the young boy that he could still have her if he wanted her. That should have been the end of that right.... not quite.

This amazing young man, full of sincerity and hope, said no thank you. He said "you were here first, and everything happens for a reason", he had looked harder and noticed hearts on the sister puppy as well, and he was happy. I offered again and both the mom and son graciously declined. I held my Dempsey and watched this young boy cry when he held his puppy for the first time. I could no longer hold back my tears, but they were tears of happiness not just for this family, but that kindness and love won the battle, not force, or fear, or hatred, but kindness and love.

Kindness came to me as I adopted Dempsey. The kindness within me overpowered any feeling of "winning", or "being first", or "getting what was mine". Kindness and humanity was stronger in me than anything else and I felt Wonderful. The same kindness and humanity was also strong in the mom and her son as they conveyed it back to me, and I felt wonderful all over again.

I'm so grateful that even though I prepared for battle, kindness and humanity won. I now have a new friend who also shares a passion for photography (Yeah!!). We are planning a puppy play date and photo walk in the near future. Adopting Dempsey brought me more than a puppy, it brought me a peace from within as well as a hope for humanity, including myself. The young boy was so right, everything happens for a reason, and I think of their family when I see the heart on Dempsey's nose.