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In a Strange Land
Giving and Receiving
By Larry J. Pitman
 Recently a friend was telling me about how he and his wife had adopted a homeless child in Peru. We were discussing the difficulties of caring for a child who did not experience the love of a parent in her earliest years. It is not easy to fill the gap that was created in this young person's life. Certainly, my friend and his wife have made a very deep and long term commitment to the care of another human being
As I reflected on this conversation, I realized that my friend was very happy. The giving really added something very important to his life. He was receiving joy by giving. As Deepak Chopra has written “if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love...”
For those of us from North America, this is the season for giving and receiving. It is the time to really think about how we can make a difference in someone else's life by giving. In turn we may experience the joy of receiving something special. It is a reciprocal relationship isn't it? The gift given with joy must also be received with joy.
If you will forgive a personal sharing of an event in my life, I would like to tell you about a gift that still gives me pleasure even after so many years.
My Dad worked hard. He was a Mail Carrier for the U.S. Post Office for thirty - eight years. When he finally had to retire from that position, he found a job with the State of California as a Landscaper for the Highway Department. Finally he had to retire from that job.
Then comes the crisis for the many people who have worked all their lives. What to do with all the extra time? Just like most hard working people, my father really had no idea what to do with his time. He looked for home repair projects, and before long our house was in sparkling condition. He loved baseball and would often go to see his beloved Oakland Athletics play or watch them on television. None of this was enough.
During this time, I was away at college in Washington, D.C.. When I came home to California for Christmas that year, I was shocked to see my father. He was a shadow of himself. He was bored, listless and beginning to have health problems.
I knew that something had to be done, but what. I'm not an inspired gift-giver, but that Christmas, I needed something that would help my father get back into life. Otherwise I was afraid that we were going to lose him.
My inspiration was actually a risky gamble. I would buy him a dog.
I don't know why, but I decided to buy him a Basset Hound puppy. They are the dogs who are long and low to the ground with very long ears. I located a breeder who sold me a seven -week old female named Tiger.
When I brought her home, my mother groaned “Oh, no!” and my father was silent. From the very start, though ,Tiger made it clear that she was my father's dog. He was the center of her universe. She demanded that he take her out for walks.
She was so cute with her floppy ears that soon neighbors would come up to my father to say hello to Tiger. The children, especially, loved her. She was named the mascot of the elementary school across the street.
My father became a well-known figure in the neighborhood. When people went away on vacation, he would take care of their homes. Single working mothers knew that he would take their kids to the dentist or help with other mundane family tasks. He was the father some children didn't have.
I remember one time when a five year old neighbor knocked on our door and asked: “Can George (my father) come out to play?” He was then 80 years old.
When he and Tiger walked the neighborhood, they frequently stopped to chat with the neighbors who were now their friends. Tiger insisted that they go on their walks frequently so my father was exercising several hours a day. But more than that, he was connected with all sorts of people. He was busy, needed and fulfilled. For thirteen years, Tiger was his faithful companion. During that time, I and my family enjoyed the company of a happy and fulfilled man.
Tiger changed his life. I believe that she added many happy years to his life. For him and me. I gave a little and received much more in return. It was a gift that really paid off.
Even now, so many years later, I reflect back, smile inwardly, and receive the pleasure of that gift once again.
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