Buddy always pauses a moment, chin down, legs outstretched before he eats a treat.

I like to think he is saying grace.

When my older son was five he was fascinated with fire trucks. He had a collection of little toy fire trucks and he would engage in imaginary play with them that involved endless heroic efforts, often requiring the dramatic rescue of a kitten in a tree.

During grace before our Thanksgiving meal that year, we all took a moment to say what we were thankful for.

He said he was thankful for fire trucks.

He now lives in Manhattan. The recent onslaught of Hurricane Sandy takes thankfulness to a whole new level. Luckily, he lives in the Upper East Side, so he wasn’t affected that much by the storm. However, all over New York there is incredible destruction.

We are thankful that he and his girlfriend weren’t affected by the disaster and are safe. We are all thankful for the firemen and first-responders who help with the victims of disasters.

And Buddy? He is thankful for Milkbones.

Photo by L Kreha