Tails of Christmas

OK, Leo, let's get ready.

Come here.

All right, Pixie is all good to go.

Great.

Are the little gift bags in the car?

Yeah, all packed away.

Thanks, James.

OK, off we go.

How about down here?

Yeah, I can feel that.

Oh, hey, Caleb.

Hi.

I'm sorry I'm early.

No, you're fine. I'll take you back.

Come on.

And bring it back.

Great.

So, how have the exercises been going at home?

Fine.

How's the walking part going?

OK.

Do you have anyone at home to help

steady you, your mom or dad?

They flew back to Kansas.

Already?

I needed some quiet.

So, who's helping you?

I can do it on my own.

What about the...

Thanks for having us back.

Oh, we love it when you come.

Oh, great.

The dogs are here.

They come by every year at Christmas time.

OK, so go ahead and start on leg raises

and I'll get some resistance bands,

and then I'll meet you over there.

How are you?

Good.

This is Leo.

So this is Pixie.

Yeah. How long have you had her?

I've had her for about two years now.

Such a good boy.

So sweet.

Thank you for coming.

My pleasure.

Oh, and, Merry Christmas.

Oh, thank you very much.

Hi.

This is Leo.

Can we sit for a minute?

Sure, I guess.

I'm Amber.

I run Davenport. Animal Haven.

What's your name?

Caleb.

Nice to meet you, Caleb.

Don't worry.

He's friendly.

OK, Leo, sit.

Good boy.

So, can I tell you about him?

Yeah.

Leo here was at the shelter, and when

I would tidy his kennel, he'd sit by my side,

just smiling and waiting.

And then he would lick my hand afterwards,

kind of like he was saying thanks.

And I would take him on walks and he would then look up

every few steps, like checking to see

if I was as happy as he was.

And, I wanted him to be happy all the time.

So I adopted him and ended up finding my best friend.

Well, it sounds like you're both pretty lucky.

Yeah.

Now, he loves coming on visits, and he loves Christmas.

How can you tell?

His tail wags more, and he loves to take

naps by the Christmas tree.

How do you know he's not just finding a warmer

spot in the wintertime?

Because he'll nap by the Christmas tree at my apartment

and at the shelter.

And I even moved the trees around each year.

And he always goes back to them.

Quirky dog.

Yeah, he is.

Fun personalities just like us.

So, do you have any fun Christmas plans?

Not really.

It's probably hard to focus on anything when you're

working so hard to get better.

Yeah, it's hard to ignore.

Here, close your eyes.

Why?

Just try it with me.

Are you one of those psychologists?

No, just a girl with a dog.

OK.

Now what?

OK.

Imagine you aren't here, nothing hurts, it's Christmas.

Where are you?

And what are you doing?

I am...

I don't know.

Come on.

There's no right or wrong answer.

Fine.

I am outside.

Is that it?

I'm still thinking.

OK sorry.

Keep going.

I'm on a mountain with fresh snow.

And the air is cold, but I like it.

And I'm at the top of a slope looking down.

And I'm ready to ski.

I like that.

So you're a skier?

I've been a few times, but it's

more so that I'd be able to do it,

and I wouldn't be worried about my leg being weak or scarred.

Maybe one day you won't even think about it.

There's more to you than your hardest days.

Like what?

Like your smile, it's a great one.

See, don't make me get out my mirror.

Please, don't.

I will take your word for it.

Good.

And where would you be at Christmas?

I would be inside a cozy cabin sitting by a warm fire.

And I'd be painting.

And what's the painting of?

Leo napping by a Christmas tree.

Are you an artist.

No, maybe if things were different.

But I'm doing what I need to do right now.

I do paint for fun every now and then when I have time.

Well, I'd like to see that painting.

Really?

Well, if I do it, you'll have to stop by the shelter

to see it.

You'd hang it up there?

Sure, at least at Christmas time.

Hi, there.

Hello.

Well, I guess I should stop disturbing you.

Thank you, I mean, for stopping by,

not for disturbing me.

I'm glad we got a chat.

Anytime you want to say hi to Leo

or any of the other animals, stop by the shelter.

OK.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas, Caleb.

Merry Christmas.

Come on, Leo.

All right, the red one or the purple one?

Thank you so much, Pastor.

You take care.

See you Sunday.

OK, bye.

Maybe some wood glue would help secure it.

I have a thicker bolt in place.

It should do the trick.

Thank you for doing this.

No thanks needed.

You want to grab some lunch?

Yeah, sure.

By the way, how's the job search going?

On hold.

Oh?

What I've been doing so far has been...

Not your cup of tea?

Yeah.

I think I'm rushing into the career,

and It's not working out.

That office bound marketing job

had you climbing up the walls. - Mm-hmm.

Yep.

This is good.

Take your time.

I remember when I left the army,

I had this idea that I had to have everything figured out.

But it's OK to take some time.

It's only been a year for you, you know?

More than that.

Well, since the accident, sure.

But then you had your surgery, and your recovery took

a long time to get through.

Maybe keep an eye out for something

that's more fulfilling.

Are you trying to get me to become a pastor?

If that's what you want,

but I think there are better options for you

that would be more meaningful.

There's always the veterans groups.