This year has been
unique to say the least. It seems to have us on pins and needles as we
wait for what will be next.
From crazy weather to
pandemics and new concepts like social distancing (and we're only in the first
three months!), no one really seems to know what to do with 2020 and its seems
we'll only get a true assessment of our experience in hindsight.
The Covid-19 virus
pandemic began to make waves in February but it didn't really start to affect
life until March, and then it swallowed March when life seemed to have been
effectively cancelled. Already, the outlook is for April (and possibly
May) to continue in stop-life mode with the possibility of further time also
being compromised (the President made mention of this maybe lasting until July!) by
a virus that has us in shelter-in-place mode in many places of the nation while
the rest of us practice voluntary social distancing that mostly keeps us home
and no less than six feet apart.
All of this to say, the
usual of life is very unusual with no certainty in any kind of planning.
This was the first year in many that Nikolas actually asked to have a birthday
party. Plans were made and invitations were sent out by a rather tickled
teen--then schools were closed and all kinds of activities were cancelled and
kids everywhere had plans and dreams shattered as the reality of not being able
to have parties and proms, youth groups and camps (among other activities and
milestones) became a glaring reality. To say we have a bunch of bummed
out people in our house is a mild summation.
As life keeps shifting
and morphing into new territory due to a virus, we are trying to adapt and
still not overreact as it seems many have. Social and political outlooks
are shaky at best. And yet, there is much to be thankful for.
Funny, you would think
we wouldn't be much affected by social distancing, but we do feel more secluded
as all of our social outlets have been shut down. It would seem that we
should have so much more free time on our hands, but oddly, I feel busier than
ever. Not sure how that works. Maybe just the constant quick
lifestyle adjustments we've had to make and a lack of regular scheduling
naturally takes a toll. But I digress,,,sort of.
I was supposed to attend
a women's retreat this past weekend. The notice came that we would have
to make a personal choice whether or not to travel (for me, an hour away) to
attend--and they wanted an answer that night. After much prayer and
conversation with the family, I declined attendance. I just couldn't risk
leaving and then being put into lock down and not being able to return home for
two weeks, or to be exposed to the virus and to subsequently bring it
home. I knew it was a good choice, but still I felt better when I
received word the next evening that the retreat was officially
cancelled.
It seems that all things
work as they should (there's even a bible verse that speaks to that) :-)
You see, because I was not at retreat, I came across a sweet face on social
media that made my heart skip a beat. (This is where John jokingly says I
was not practicing good social distancing by being on social media) :-) I took
a screen shot and shared the photo with John and the older boys. There
was no mistaking, this was a special photo. Understand that, for quite some
time, the kids have been asking to get another dog. We've even had
lengthy conversations about what breed of dog and what kind of provisions we
would need in order to house a pet. The decision held that there was one
breed in specific that the family was looking for--a Vizsla. This breed
is not easy to find or cheap to buy. That's especially why I was sharing
this photo--the green eyes staring at me were undoubtedly Vizsla and adoption
was free.
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| The face we fell in love with |
I received notices back
from the boys with heart eyes and John simply said he wanted to discuss it
later. I was not counting on any action, I mean this was so out
of the blue, but I could agree to a discussion at a later time.
Before I even saw John, Sonja
ran in to tell me how cute the puppy was and Riley wanted to know if we were
going to get him. Apparently John was more interested than he let off
because he shared the photo with the little kids (I even knew
better than to do that without a plan!) and the buzz in the house was audible.
I relayed the adoption details to the top tier (John, Jozsef, Nikolas, and
myself) and we had detailed conversation well into the night. The final
consensus--if it was meant to be, all the details would fall into place.
The adoption process had
changed, along with so many other aspects of life, due to possible viral
contamination. The shelter was offering all-inclusive free adoptions on a
first-come-first-serve basis. Available animals were posted on social
media on Friday night and adoptions were opened Saturday morning. A line
was formed and as animals were adopted signs were posted. IF the animal
of your interest was available during your turn, you could take them
home. If not, well...
Both of the older boys
were to be at work on adoption day, so even though they were eager, they could
not even try to acquire the dog of our interest. The rest of us could not
go together because potential adopters were only being let in one-at-a-time to
reduce risk of the virus. That meant either John or I
could go, but not both of us as would have been preferred. I had waffles
to make (my Saturday tradition) so it couldn't be me :-) but really, everyone
knows that if you put an adorable puppy in my arms the likelihood of me not taking
it home is slim, so it was best if John went because he could ask the
appropriate questions and (presumably) be more neutral in his judgement in
making a good pet placement. Therefore, it was settled--John, armed with
specific inquisitions, would go and see if this was the Vizsla for
us.
In what we call a
fortuitous event, John was able to secure a place in line that allowed for him
to visit with our choice option which the shelter was calling Gomer. John
texted me a photo of the little guy when he met him and then called me to tell
me all that he had discovered from the shelter staff.
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| He looks so attentive, so eager, so sweet! |
Gomer's story is
mysterious and confusing, but what it came down to was that he was a healthy 8
week old Vizslador (half Vizsla and half Labrador) ready to go home to a
family. None of the information we sought was negative and before I knew it,
John texted me back a photo of our new pup ready for the ride to his new
home.
The rest of the day was
a flurry of supply gathering and getting acquainted with our new family member.
The first order of business was to change his name. Gomer was renamed
Rinzler. The name was proposed by Nikolas and was rather easily agreed upon by
the rest of us. First off, it's different and is spelled a little oddly
(Jozsef loves that it has a Z in it) so it fits in our line up well. The
name comes from the movie Tron (a kid fav). Rinzler has a key role in the
movie that includes a life transformed and the title of Enforcer--a story the
kids felt fit our little guy and a name they hope he will embrace as the
protector of the family. In addition, Rinzler's color is orange--fitting
for a rust colored pup. So Rinzler is now an official member of our
family. And that
is why it is a good thing that I did not attend retreat. Had I gone, I
would not have seen his face and we would not have him today. Unplanned,
yet fortuitous. :-)
Rinzler is a smart,
energetic, playful, and spirited little guy. In his short three days with
us, we've observed sweetness, aggressiveness, intelligence, playfulness, and a
streak of stubbornness. Solid training is a must for this little
guy. It's a good thing that was already in the plan. :-) So
it begins. Welcome Rinzler! We love you already! <3 font="">
