Friday was the year anniversary of Gracie’s death. It was good that I’ve been so busy and have had very little time to dwell in it. I have the box of her ashes out and waiting for a permanent spot in the house. Once things get a bit more settled, we’ll figure out the best place for her.

Dear Gracie,

I cannot believe it’s been a year already that you were taken from me. I think about you daily, as the pictures around this place are constant reminders of you, and thankfully most days the thoughts of you are happy ones. I’m still not sure what purpose your death has, what it was supposed to mean. I don’t understand how a healthy dog of 5 dies. Still, I try to be grateful for the time we did have together… but it is hard. I needed you more than ever in my post-heartbreak state, and your absence further ripped at my being.

I wish you could be a part of this new change in my life. There would have been a whole house for you to explore and get into trouble in. There are mountains here with lots of dog-friendly trails; places to bike and run as well. I see other owners with their dogs walking around town – sniffing exciting grass or bushes or poles – and I know you would have loved it. We take drives around the country, one of your favorite places, and check out the cows and fields and streams. I’ve never been here with you but still, I think of you.

I miss your kisses and the smell of your doggie fur. I miss your happy greeting whenever I came home or even came out of the bathroom. I miss the clicking of your nails on the hardwood. I miss your tricks and your bark and the warmth of your body as you layed near me at night. I miss the family that we were.

I know that your death means that one day I’ll rescue another doggie, and this will be a wonderful thing and I think you’ll be proud of me. Until then, it’s still your picture and your ashes and the memories of you. It hurts more than I can say, but I think you already know.

Still missing you and loving you like crazy,

Your Mama

 

Rainbow Bridge

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill, is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run, when their time on the earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next, is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play, till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness, for here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed, their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care, until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back, then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met; together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past, the time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart, has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever, and then, side by side, they cross over… together.