"Little Dog, a holiday story"

Today i granted a Christmas wish.

I met a little doggie this summer at the flea market. he came home with me in a bag of "stuff". He went to live on a shelf i have over my kitchen sink. I started calling him Little Dog. I'd come wash my hands and say, "how ya doing little dog"? he was pretty quiet for awhile, as it turns out that he is shy. then one day he answered me and told me that he was "doing quite well, thank you very much". after that, we became good friends. he just needed to build up his trust in me.

Early this fall, during one of our many conversations at the kitchen sink, he told me of a wish he had. I was honored that he trusted me so much to share something so important with me. He told me that when he grew up, he wanted to be a reindeer. he wanted to fly with the other reindeer and help Santa pull his sleigh. after thinking for a minute, i said, "so what's stopping you"? he was quiet and said, "i don't know".

a few weeks later, we talked about it again. this time, he surprised me and said, " i am ready to be a reindeer, but i need your help". it was hard for Little Dog to ask me for help and i was proud that he worked up the courage to do so. So i said, "let's get to work". We worked hard over the next few weeks, getting him gear ready, practicing flying, fashioning his antlers, etc. I began to see Little Dog come alive in front of my eyes as his dream became a reality.

Sometimes we have dreams and if all it takes is a little help, that shouldn't stop us from trying to get there!

This story is symbolic of my growth as an artist: taking baby steps, recovering from a devastating, life altering event and venturing out into the world on my own terms.

So i am proud to present to you, Little Dog the reindeer, making his world debut Christmas eve Dec. 24, 2010.



Little Dog in all his glory
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the flying lessons have been going really well!
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here's Little Dog relaxing with some of his new friends; a supportive, nuturing and caring group.

wish him luck!