White Dog's Gotcha Day is today. It was five years ago that a tiny white ball of fluff weighing 1-1/2lbs boarded a plane by herself and flew to us from Kansas. She arrived to an eight-page list of names that Steve had prepared drawing from Eskimo, German, Folkloric, and Literature traditions but when I first held our precious newbie in my arms and looked into those dark pools of timidness and love, she instantly became "Siku," an Athabaskan word meaning "ice" for she had melted the ice that had protected my heart from the pain of losing Sheena to cancer months before. It is our ritual on Gotcha Day to cuddle in the morning and retell the story of White Dog's choosing and how she came to us. We exchange presents of love (she got a yogurt bone and a set of stuffie bees that hide in a hive; she gave Steve a "wrist collar," an onyx inlaid id bracelet, and we all gave Michael his very first electric shaver). Later, today Gregg, Candace, Dragon, and Richard will join us for a Cuban Fiesta to celebrate with happy music and good food. Each of you will be with us in spirit as we rejoice in the wonderful Universe that put us all together...into a family.
Happy Valentine's Day, my friends! May your heart be warmed by love, your ears filled with the sweet sounds of caring, and your eyes know the beauty of making someone special smile.