Lately, Mom has been really busy. She’s been shopping,
wrapping presents and making dozens of cookies. One day, she told me that she
was too busy to write a Christmas letter this year. When I heard this, I cocked my head to one
side and looked up at her with my puppy dog eyes. Mom is pretty good at reading
my eyes. She realized I was asking “What is a Christmas letter?” And then I
read her eyes. “Oh Levi, I forgot it’s your first Christmas!” “Let me tell you
what Christmas is all about. Then, if
you want, you can type up a Christmas letter.”
So Mom and I snuggled up with some cookies and dog treats
and she told me all about Baby Jesus being born in a manger in Bethlehem. She
explained how Jesus was a gift from God, and how God is all about love. I heard
about the 3 wise men from the East. Then she told me how people give gifts to
their loved ones at Christmas and explained how Santa Claus fits in. I drifted
off to sleep and dreamt that I was a flying reindeer. Then, as dreams often do, things took a
different turn and suddenly I was a new born puppy again, back in my whelping
box in Ogilvie (much like a manger in Bethlehem). Five “wise guys” from the Twin Cities showed
up to admire me. I awoke from my dream with the sudden realization that dog is
God spelled backwards. Suddenly it made sense why I’ve always felt that my
purpose in life is to love everyone I meet.
So here I am writing the family Christmas letter. Please
excuse any typos, as my paws are kind of big for the keyboard. As you may have gathered, I am fairly new to
the family. I am an almost one year old golden retriever. I was born last January. When I was five
weeks old, the Seeger family (aka the five wise guys from the twin cities) came
to Ogilvie to check out my litter mates and me. A few other families had
visited before the Seeger’s, and after each visit, I heard that one of my
litter mates was “spoken for.” I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I knew it was something
important.
When the Seeger family showed up, I was naturally curious.
The three kids were “oo-ing” and “ahh-ing” over all of us puppies. The dad
asked a lot of questions about us. The mom tried really hard not to show any
interest in us. I noticed the kids were sitting on the floor, so I walked over
to one of them and she picked me up. She had such warm arms and I could tell
she liked me. When she put me down, I walked over to each of the other two
kids. They each picked me up and cuddled with me. Other families that visited
had held me, but it didn’t feel like this. When these three kids held me, I
just wanted to snuggle deep down in their arms. It felt like I was meant to be
there. Suddenly I knew what it meant to be “spoken for.”
The girl named Danielle took me over to her mom and told her
that she like me. The other two kids named Lauren and Evan each said they liked
me too. Danielle put me in her mom’s arms. I was a little nervous at first,
because I heard the dad say that the mom really didn’t want a dog. But when I
got in her arms, I could feel the love. I relaxed and looked up at her with the
same eyes that her three kids looked at her with: The eyes that said, “Please
Mom!”
When the Seeger family left that day, I knew I’d see them
again. It was a long two weeks before Mom and Dad came back to pick me up. The
three kids weren’t with them this time and I wondered where they were. But I
already knew that I could trust Mom and Dad, so I didn’t worry. It was a long van
ride to my new home. Mom held me the whole time. After we were home for a short
time, we got back in the van. I was hoping I wasn’t being returned just because
I’d pooped under the kitchen table. Luckily this was a short van ride though.
We stopped at a big building called School with lots of people walking out of
it. Suddenly, my heart leapt as I spotted Danielle in the crowd of people. She
got into the van and when she spotted me, I know her heart leapt too. I could
see it on her face. The next stop was at another smaller building, also called
School with smaller people walking out of it. I had a hunch that there would be
two more familiar faces in this crowd. I was right! When Lauren and Evan got
into the van and saw me, they shrieked with joy. I knew just how they felt.
Time has gone by fast since I came home. I took Mom and Dad
to puppy class to train them when to give me treats. I met my very best friend,
Ruby. She lives next door to me and we love to play in her backyard. Long walks
with Mom and trips to the dog park are fun too. Barking at squirrels is an
exciting pastime of mine. I’ve learned to swim and it’s one of my favorite
things, especially when I can roll in the dirt as soon as I get out of the
water. And recently it snowed! I LOVE the snow. There is nothing like burying
your nose down in the snow to sniff around. But my favorite thing to do when it
snows is to make snow angels. It is so fun. You should really try it.
Now you know all about how I came to live with my family. I
know a lot of people write about their kids’ grades and activities in Christmas
letters, so apparently those things are important. I don’t know what grades my
kids get in school. But I know they get smiles on their faces whenever they
come home from school and find me waiting for them. And I give them each an A+
in snuggling and belly scratching! I can’t imagine any grades that are more
important than those.
Mom and Dad do a pretty good job of taking care of me. They
comment a lot about how raising a puppy is a lot like raising a kid. I often
think that living with my three kids is a lot like living with my litter mates
back in Ogilvie: We snuggle, wrestle and vie for Mom’s attention.
As I’ve been typing this letter, boxes wrapped in colorful
paper have been piling up under our Christmas tree. Mom says they are presents
for each of us. She even helped me choose and wrap presents for my kids and
Dad. I sniffed a couple of presents under the tree that had my name on them. I
can hardly wait to see what’s inside those bags and boxes. But I know that
whatever the gifts turn out to be, they will pale in comparison to the feeling
of being spoken for.
Sometimes when I am snuggling with Mom, Dad or one of my
kids, they say things like, “I still can’t believe we got a dog.” When I look
up at their faces, I realize that they also know the joy of being spoken for.
Merry Christmas from the Seeger family. Our wish for you is
to know the joy of being spoken for.
Love,
Levi,
Eric and Kim,
Dani, Lauren and Evan
P.S. Mom said my name got to go first since I wrote the
letter.
