I have become a Grandad.
No, this is not some revelation of a secret other life. Indeed, if it was true, it would be somewhat of a surprise to both of my children and my wife.
I write this while on dog grandparenting duty for my daughter’s canine dependent. Peggy is a lovely 4 (or maybe 5) year-old sprocker (a cross between a cocker spaniel and a springer spaniel – at least that’s what we think). It’s clear that Peggy herself has her own version of a secret other life. Not a ‘rescue dog’ as such but she is certainly now living a life where she is safe and being fully cared for. So, she has in many respects been rescued from the past in to a loving present and future.
Peggy has some, but thankfully not all, of the energy of a springer and some, again not all, of the quirkiness of a cocker. Cocker spaniels have been in our family for a number of years. My wife, Jane will regularly tell people that she married a cocker – he was called Kim. After him, we had a less than successful short period with a puppy, Ben. After a few years gap, during which we admired every dog we met in the street, we gained the delightful Pip (a distant descendant of Kim, it turned out) and for the last five years, (the now nearly 10 year-old) Daisy.
Kim, Pip and Daisy have all, like Peggy, come as an older dog to a ‘forever home’. They have each shown signs of their own ‘previous life’ and there are times when we wonder exactly what happened to them. They carry their past in to the present and the future. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks but some things are harder or indeed not possible to change.
We are all influenced by our past, aren’t we? Be that genetic factors and traits in our behaviour, health, attitudes and, for some, aptitudes also. The events of life can also change us for good and not so good. Some of us take deliberate actions and choices to be like or not like those who went before us or to imitate what we admire in others (and avoid doing that which we don’t). None of us are ‘too old’ or unable to change (or learn ‘new tricks’) unless we make a choice not to do so – even if we feel we have no choice.
For me, I am glad that the more recent years have enabled me to focus my thoughts less on the troubling aspects of the past and more on the present and the future.
One of the hymns that has been a constant companion for Jane and I throughout our time together has been ‘Lord for the years’ by Timothy Dudley-Smith. Whether canine or human, the words sum up what underlines God’s love and concern for every aspect of our life, whether past, present or future:
‘Past put behind us, for the future take us.’
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Details of my books can be found at richardfrostauthor.com