It’s been a year now since Gracie died and almost 5 months since I lost Byron.  This house is empty, cold, and sad.

But in the midst of sadness, I count my blessings :

—–we had Gracie for 10+ happy years.

—–I had Byron for almost all my life, beginning at age 11 when I decided that I would marry him.

—–I have my children and my grown grands who have shown enormous love and support through these trying times.

—–I am grateful for the many friends who have let me know  ( in so many different ways ) how much they care.

—–and I have my faith which will carry me through.

Wishing for all of you a Christmas that brings you gratitude for your blessings.

 

Our treasured and much-loved Gracie is in God’s lap now , and my heart is breaking.

She was an old soul from the beginning.  Kind and gentle and quiet, she brought peace and tranquillity wherever she was, whenever she was.  Her purpose in life was to soothe the distraught,  the sad,  the angry.  And soothe she did………

Her death was peaceful,  just as her life was.

There are no words that could ever express what she has meant to Byron and me for the past 10 years or so.  She was a four-legged, multi-colored, long-eared , sweet Parti Cocker Spaniel who blessed us every minute of every day.

When Dr. Mac called us from the Lavonia Animal Hospital all those years ago to say that there was  a rescue Cocker available, we responded immediately and met Gracie.  She was approximately  2-3 years old and was found wandering in the Canon area.  A kind couple with young children had kept her alive by feeding her scraps, but she needed a real and loving  home.  And so it was…………

I believe that God has a plan for all of us, including dogs and cats.  His plan was for Gracie to grace our lives.  And so she did every day in every way.

Who knows what her background was ?   We’ll never know.   What we do know is that she was well-trained :   polite ,  disciplined ,  and gentle ,  all traits that we humans could learn from.

She stood back for us to walk ahead. .  She shook her head ” No ” when she meant  ” Yes ” to go out.  She sat for her treats.  She never barked, no matter the circumstances.  She slept when we slept.  She never begged for food.  She stayed out of the way,  never underfoot.  She sensed our moods, our privacy,  and respected those.

A watch dog she was not, but , rather, a sweet, sweet spirit…………….

Dennis, our  son-in-law , once said about his own dog ,  Janna,  ” People who don’t believe dogs have souls have never looked in Janna’s eyes “.   Nothing is closer to the truth.

Our Gracie will be missed.  She was so much a part of our lives.  She was the sunshine on a rainy day,  the love to the world’s hate,  the calmness to any turmoil,  the warmth to the cold———and our much-loved baby.

Heaven is a better place with Gracie there.  I can vouch for that !

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