It’s #familyfriday on my calendar, so here’s a moment from yesterday’s visit to memory care with our rescue Lab and therapy dog, Kumba.

His super power is calmness, so I took my cue from Kumba when the mostly nonverbal Charles reached over and began stroking him. Kumba just stayed put, leaning into the moment as it stretched to nearly 15 minutes. Normally, I try to see as many people as possible during the hour. Yesterday, I learned the value of simply staying put to allow a little magic to flow between our dog and Charles.

Sometimes, the most important thing is showing up and staying still.

Thank you to Elegance at Lake Worth for its gracious hospitality, to Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida for bringing Kumba into our family, to Complete Canine Training for helping Kumba blossom from traumatized rescue to calm family dog, and to the Alliance of Therapy Dogs for giving us the tools and credentials to do this rewarding work.