(tj)(2)

                            December 24, 2016

                (tj)(2)

                        i'm thankful that clark the dog got adopted from the local animal shelter this week. i'm thankful that out of all the animals that pop up in their facebook feed, i somehow became obsessed with this particular dog. i'm thankful that the shelter made a strong push for his adoption, even making a picture of clark their cover photo for the better part of a week. i'm thankful that they were specific about this stray's particular needs, that he was shy around strangers and that he tends to bark a lot and would definitely not be ok with other animals, which is why i couldn't consider adopting him myself, even though i really, really wanted to. i'm thankful that he got to stay with a foster family until someone could apply to adopt him. i'm thankful for this community and the many shares and long facebook threads under clark's pictures of people tagging other people who might have wanted to consider adopting clark. i'm thankful that clark will go home with his new family a couple days after christmas. i'm thankful that facebook allows me a little keyhole to peep on these adopters and even though the only publicly visible pictures were lots of tie-dye designs and ones indicating their support for bernie sanders and anger at the dnc for its 'cheating' on hillary clinton's behalf, i was still glad to see that there were no visible signs of support for donald trump.

i'm thankful that at the end of a long year filled with disappointment and difficult and necessary self-discovery, i can still find warm and bright reassurances that we will all end up where we are supposed to be. i'm thankful to look at clark's hopeful face (https://www.facebook.com/ICAnimalCenter/photos/a.245684795544496.51855.120225741423736/1066317276814573/?type=3&theater) and remember that.

- tj (12/23/2016).

                            Don't miss what's next. Subscribe to thank you notes: