Rey and I take a few walks each day. Some are short; others
are longer. He is loving his new life. While he no longer has a yard to run in,
he has lots of people, and dogs, to meet. He wants everyone to be his friend,
and he will gladly give anyone who gets down close enough a kiss. The problem
he has is that he is so eager to meet people that he talks to them, and
strangers do not know whether he is growling or not. I try to keep him away
from runners so he won’t startle them too much. I offer others a smile and say,
“he just wants to be friends.”
I remember in high school when Bobby, a friend of my brother,
asked if my mother was mad at him. He thought she looked angry. She wasn’t
angry; she just wasn’t smiling all the time. When I was in my first year college
suite, one suite mate asked if I was reading the obituaries because I looked so
serious. No, I was reading the comics and enjoying them uproariously inside. One
of our new neighbors does not smile much at all. We wondered if he was a
grumpus, but one day Rey and I rode the elevator with him, and he petted Rey.
This morning, he waved to us as he drove by during our walk.
This is a good reminder to me. Quick judgments about people
can be unfair. Who have I been too quick to judge? What relationships have I
missed?
Proverbs 17:9
One
who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
but one who dwells on disputes will
alienate a friend.
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