Sunday Afternoon Friends

The warm sunshine of Sunday afternoon brought many of our neighbors outside to play. Some trimmed their shrubs, some accompanied their children as they rode their scooters in the cul-de-sac, and some walked their dogs. We waved at each other. We stopped what we were doing to talk to each other and caught up on what was happening in each other's lives.

Emma, our white Maltese is greatly loved by the neighborhood children. When I walk her, our neighbors' children flock to us like magnets. They love to hold Emma's leash and walk her. They really want to hold her like a baby....but she's a little bit too wiggly for them to manage her this way. This past Sunday, they wanted to do all of these things. When I walked Emma, they asked me if they could hold the leash and walk Emma. So I let them. They asked me if they could hold Emma. So I picked her up and put her in their arms. After a while I said my good byes and went back inside. It wasn't long before my doorbell rang. Secretly I hoped that someone was selling Girl Scout Cookies. But it wasn't. It was the little girls from across the street. They each looked at me with smiles spreading from ear to ear and asked, "Can Emma come out and play?" How could I deny Emma a chance to play? So I slipped on my flip-flops and walked out with Emma. I let her run around without her leash, while the little girls chased her. I cut forsythia for vases in my house and taught the little girls how to say forsythia, then how to spell it, all the while Emma was running around smelling all the newness of spring. I walked the little girls to the back of our yard and helped them climb up into the fort that previous owners had built for their children. It wasn't long before we heard their names being called to come home. And as quickly as they had arrived, they disappeared. Emma and I went back inside. When I walked in the door, my husband looked at me and said, "Have you had fun playing with your friends?" "Yes," I replied, "We've played in the fort and cut flowers." My guess is the little girls had fun too. I'm pretty sure they'll come back again. What do you think?