Grand-Puppy-sitting? In the job description?

Back in the day - before it was official, people kept telling me that in retirement I would get to spend more time with my grandchildren.  Most times, I nodded, but inside I winced.  Of my nine  - should I say 11 grandchildren, since two more have married into the tribe, only the two youngest at five and six might want any babysitting.  The rest live full lives with school, jobs, relationships, and well, you get the picture.  And I confess, I sometimes felt a little self-pity.

BUT, my Amy lives only an hour away and she has two of our four grand-dogs.  Her in-laws are celebrating 50 years of marriage and Tom and Amy wanted to make the journey to Grand Rapids, but they did not want to put the dogs in a kennel.  The littlest, Remy, has a few separation anxieties, and by the way, he has thoroughly bonded with Grandma, or is it that Grandma has bonded with him.  I have been known to fill a tiny lunch box with dog treats to take when we visit Remy, and, I must admit, to keeping a box at our house for when Remy comes for a visit.

Anyway, here we sit, with Remy taking turns whose feet he guards.  By the way, I remember the day when Jim brought a dachshund home, and after one night of this little wiener dog battling all night to sleep between Jim and I, he went back.  The dog, not Jim.  Last night, Remy joined us in bed, checked to make sure I was on my side, and spent the night snuggled right up close to Grandpa’s feet…and how do you think Grandpa responded?  He LOVED IT!  Remy, after all, is our very needy grand-dog, and how could you do anything but love him back.

He has guarded us today, announcing loudly all visitors, or squirrels in the back yard.  He sat still like a good boy in the car when we checked out a local McDonalds.  He played catch me if you can, when I tried to assure him that the squirrel would not hurt us…and all in all, he thoroughly satisfied the nurturing needs of his grandparents.

Now Remy shares guard dog duties with Jack, a long haired lab who has to stay out of the main living areas – Amy is allergic, and we love on Jack too…but don’t tell him that our hearts belong to Remy this weekend.

So what does this have to do with retirement?  I love dogs, and God blesses us all in unique and wonderful ways…even through grand-dog sitting.