I Miss that Damn Dog

That's the thing about a dog.

He's just supposed to "be there".

I mean, I sure don't want to be a jerk - but I always feel like I appreciated the fact that there would be a smiling and beautiful creature at my house to greet me. (No offense to my wonderful husband and son - who are truly amazing creatures and do greet me warmly).

I sure hope Joe knew.

I sure hope I didn't NOT illustrate to him how much I appreciated him.

Because I sure am missing it now. No offense, "Jaws the Fish".

But, seriously - I kept asking my husband, "Do you think Joe knows how much we love him?".

He assured me he did.

Did he? Do any of us?

Do our children know they are the loves of our lives?

Do our brothers and sisters?

Do our parents?

Do our in-laws and out-laws?

Do our best friends?

Do our teachers and co-workers - such as they may be?

Well, I must admit I often did feel guilty that I was expressing my deepest love to my dog (which is true), but that maybe my own beloved family (including all extended) didn't know, my best friends didn't know and even co-workers and fellow board members don't really how much I appreciate them.

The thing is. It's so. So. So. Easy to tell your lizard, fish, turtle, cat and dog how much you love them - unconditionally.

But are we telling our People?

Comments

Riders on the Storm(s)

With Hurricane Florence about to make landfall - and millions evacuating as we on the coasts more and more frequently must do, I started thinking about the many times we have made that harrowing journey inland, away and to higher ground. In the midst of the fear and speculation and all of the unknowns and "what ifs" running through the minds of families fleeing these monster storms, there is nervous energy. The chaos of making darn sure you have plenty of gas before you leave, and if you don't, the ensuing panic of seeing lines of cars and "sold out" signs as you sojourn on. And then. Do you have the keepsakes? Did you board up sufficiently? When will we be able to come back home again? Will there be power? What about the trees - which ones could fall on the house? What about the lawn furniture and any other potential projectiles? You calm yourself with - we have us, we have the dog - we're good. And we're going. Joe the Dog helped make these panic...

On the Dock

One of the things I miss the most about Joe the Dog is his constant, consistent companionship. In fact, for a week now, I have been averting my eyes from his "places" - the kitchen floor, the rug next to the bed, his bed by the fireplace (where his ashes now sit). The hardest, though, has been the dock. One of the best things about this house is that there are only three, one-step stairs. So, with Joe and I consistently falling down our three flights of stairs together in the old house, this was a welcome improvement. This is because no matter what, no matter how he struggled, he never failed to follow us room-to-room in the house. As he grew older and more tired, and I began very fortunately working more from home, I would try to contain my activities to one room for the longest time possible, so he wouldn't feel obliged. What never ceased to surprise me though, was no matter how hard he struggled after the ruptured disk he suffered in Hurricane Matthew, h...

All Hall-Joes Eve

We used to live in a great neighborhood for Halloween. A series of winding, wooded streets - comprised of circles and cul-de-sacs, perfectly fit for a "Florida Fall". The neighborhood itself gave a nod to a typical mid-western or mountain-y fall. Even though it may have been 75 degrees. The neighborhood, replete with its trails and cut-throughs, was perfect for golf carts, caravans and make-shift hayrides. My job was to cook the chili, play the Headless Horseman DVD and man the front door with Joe the Dog. My husband and son and all measure of cousins and neighborhood friends would venture out into the pitch dark night. I've mentioned before that Joe was incredibly tame and minded really well. Therefore, whenever the doorbell rang - while he would serve as [pseudo] protector at first, once he sniffed out that all was well, he - as well as most folks - were at ease. So, on Halloween, as parents stood a few feet behind their miniature mummies, princesses and Ni...

Joe The Blog

Search This Blog