saying good-bye

not sure how to put into words how i feel today

"heart-wrenching" seems close...but not quite

this pooch was a good friend for the past 6 years

in fact, I might even go as far as saying...the best friend

if you're not a dog-lover, then you might not understand....but this girl really was a companion.  she got me.  and that's the best kind of friend.  someone who gets you...and loves you despite all the imperfections.

she joined us at Thanksgiving the year that hubby and I bought our first home

and she left us this year at Thanksgiving

we rescued her from an abandoned situation

and i'm glad we did

although i adore walking in to see hubby and the girls at the end of the day, no one gave me a welcome like this dog.  tail wagging, jumping up and down, face-licking - i.love.you

and that i love you always came without judgement or concern for the way i looked, how much money was in the checking account or what the house looked like

wish people (myself included) were more like that

talk about loyalty - this dog loved me even on the days when i barely had time to let her out to pee

she's shared the past 6-years worth of holidays with us

helped us welcome our babies home from the hospital

and been the snuggly comfort we needed on rough, rough days

after countless walks, at least a million wrestles over small stuffed animals and dozens of romps in the yard, we've said our good-byes

my heart has been twisting in all sorts of painful ways today

the tears have been abundant - yes, even in front of my students

although she wasn't perfect, i'm glad that we got the chance to love her.

i like it that our kids perk up around animals because she was part of our family.  she taught them that loving animals and being loved by them is a good thing. 

we're searching for words to explain this to Peach

it makes me nervous for more "sometimes life just sucks" talks down the road

but, it stretches us and forces us to find loving words to make the pain of losing a friend hurt a little less

and even if we can't take away the pain of loss, we can snuggle our girls up in our laps and be thankful that we get chances like this one...chances to love

 chances to share life

chances to hold something special for a little while