It's a year today that we said good-bye to our beloved Shandy. She enjoyed life to the end--that's her at a concert in the park on our last evening together.
I miss my brown-eyed girl every day, but I also feel her presence every time I think of her, which is often. At night I sleep with my legs bent to keep her spot on the bed--a 17 year habit is tough to break even if you want to, and I don't. I wish I could still hear her gentle snores.
A lot has happened this year, some good things, some not. But even in the not so good times, I get comfort from thinking of Shandy. And from remembering my friend Johanna's blog post "On The Pact We Make With Dogs". It's a beautiful piece. Her phrase, "Their partnership was legendary", helps when I'm particularly sad because it feels like I did justice to Shandy's many gifts--most especially her love of children. Shandy led, I was just her human partner on the other end of the leash.
Johanna lost her beloved Oskar recently and I wish I could return her kindness with a similar comforting thought. I don't have her gift though so all I can say is, "Johanna, you walk in integrity wherever you go and Oskar, Ulani, and all the animals in your life are the luckier for it. You honor them by acknowledging them for who they are. Thank you for sharing your stories."
