it was just last Friday, and
if you hadn’t seen the watermelon I bought the day before, and
if you hadn’t said “YUM! Let’s have some watermelon,” and
if I hadn’t said, “Let’s go out in the yard to eat it,” and
if it hadn’t been such a hot day, and
if you hadn’t said, “Let’s move our chairs into the shade,” and
if I hadn’t turned my chair to face your chair, and
if I hadn’t been looking beyond you to the railroad trestle, and
if I hadn’t said, “What’s that on the railroad trestle?” and
if you hadn’t said, “It looks like a big stump. Or maybe it’s a deer. Or a bear,” and
if I hadn’t gone inside to get the binoculars, and
if it – the stump or the deer or bear - hadn’t moved its head just as we looked,
we would never have said, “IT’S A DOG!!!” and
if I hadn’t scanned my facebook news feed just the night before, and
if Laurie hadn’t posted an urgent message about a missing golden retriever just the day before that, and
if Laurie hadn’t answered her phone (like she almost never does!) just when we called her, and
if Doug and Carol lived more than just two miles away from us, and
if they hadn’t been home when Laurie called them,
we would never have learned this was indeed, SAM, the missing golden retriever, and
if Sam hadn’t looked at us and wagged his tail when we walked toward him and called his name, and
if he hadn’t stood up and sat right down again, several times,
we would not have said, “Oh, no. Sam is hurt!” and
if Doug and Carol hadn’t come just then, and
if Doug hadn’t walked down the tracks to Sam, calling his name, and
if Sam hadn’t tried to stand up but sat down again, several times,
Doug would not have discovered that Sam’s foot was stuck in the trestle, and
he needed to be gently released so he could walk and wag and smile, and
if I hadn’t asked “How long have you had Sam?” and
if Carol hadn’t said, “He’s not our dog, he belongs to my brother and sister-in-law who came for a visit on Sunday and had to go home without Sam on Monday,” and, if I hadn't asked, “Where do they live?”
we would never have learned that Sam was from South Dakota where I used to live, and where you have many cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents!
and if we hadn’t sat down in the shade again to talk about the way
things seem to happen for a reason and all that had happened just now, just so,
you would not have said, “It’s almost like we knew.”
and I would not have felt a tear of happiness, to be with you, just now, just so,
and to know how very wise you are.
if you hadn’t seen the watermelon I bought the day before, and
if you hadn’t said “YUM! Let’s have some watermelon,” and
if I hadn’t said, “Let’s go out in the yard to eat it,” and
if it hadn’t been such a hot day, and
if you hadn’t said, “Let’s move our chairs into the shade,” and
if I hadn’t turned my chair to face your chair, and
if I hadn’t been looking beyond you to the railroad trestle, and
if I hadn’t said, “What’s that on the railroad trestle?” and
if you hadn’t said, “It looks like a big stump. Or maybe it’s a deer. Or a bear,” and
if I hadn’t gone inside to get the binoculars, and
if it – the stump or the deer or bear - hadn’t moved its head just as we looked,
we would never have said, “IT’S A DOG!!!” and
if I hadn’t scanned my facebook news feed just the night before, and
if Laurie hadn’t posted an urgent message about a missing golden retriever just the day before that, and
if Laurie hadn’t answered her phone (like she almost never does!) just when we called her, and
if Doug and Carol lived more than just two miles away from us, and
if they hadn’t been home when Laurie called them,
we would never have learned this was indeed, SAM, the missing golden retriever, and
if Sam hadn’t looked at us and wagged his tail when we walked toward him and called his name, and
if he hadn’t stood up and sat right down again, several times,
we would not have said, “Oh, no. Sam is hurt!” and
if Doug and Carol hadn’t come just then, and
if Doug hadn’t walked down the tracks to Sam, calling his name, and
if Sam hadn’t tried to stand up but sat down again, several times,
Doug would not have discovered that Sam’s foot was stuck in the trestle, and
he needed to be gently released so he could walk and wag and smile, and
if I hadn’t asked “How long have you had Sam?” and
if Carol hadn’t said, “He’s not our dog, he belongs to my brother and sister-in-law who came for a visit on Sunday and had to go home without Sam on Monday,” and, if I hadn't asked, “Where do they live?”
we would never have learned that Sam was from South Dakota where I used to live, and where you have many cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents!
and if we hadn’t sat down in the shade again to talk about the way
things seem to happen for a reason and all that had happened just now, just so,
you would not have said, “It’s almost like we knew.”
and I would not have felt a tear of happiness, to be with you, just now, just so,
and to know how very wise you are.
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