By Erin J. Walter
Special to the American-Statesman
My kids longed for a dog for years, coming to my husband and me with puppy dog eyes every few months. I bought them dog souvenirs on vacations and let our daughter get a paw print shaved into her hair. We were adamant that a real dog would be too much. We were never home. Ministry kept me busy. I was notoriously not a dog person.
What a difference a pandemic makes.
Suddenly we were always home the kids in virtual school, Patrick doing tech work, me leading church services over Zoom. By August, we had taught the kids to ride bikes, watched a new garden grow and wilt, and popped holes in not one but two in-demand, inflatable baby pools. We were tired and tense, isolated and in need of some joy.