FRIENDSHIPS
My friend and neighbor, Andrea, sent me a picture the other
day that she found in her archives. It was a picture of our two old dogs, Gus
and Honey who, like us, were good neighbors. For years they had played
together, smelled so many scents, dug so many holes and thought of a world of
mischievous things to do. Now, in this picture with their gray muzzles and
arthritic hips, they sat serenely just looking out over the lake like two old
matrons. Too tired to play games anymore, and just biding their time.
It was the very lake they had played and frolicked in so
many times together. But now it was just the backdrop for a few moments of
sitting serenely together. A priceless snapshot, of a moment in time, for sure.
They died within a few weeks of each other a few years back. I am sure their
lives were made richer by the friendship they enjoyed, the treats they shared,
and the love they shared with both of us and each other. Maybe somewhere over
that rainbow bridge they have found each other again, if you choose to believe
in such a thing. I know Andrea and I do.
I have moved on, as I have had to do many times in my life
when I have lost a faithful companion. It hasn’t always been dogs that I lost;
sometimes it’s been more significant things, but always, the loss and the
sentiments are there. Memories and pictures are such wonderful things to have.
My mind is made up of millions of them, and like peeling an onion, I often go
back, uncover them and play them over and over again. Yes, the tears come
again, but so do the smiles as we find love that is in so many places in our
lives. It would be a crying shame, no pun intended, if that shared love, and
those fond memories, were left to die from neglect, buried with the objects of
our affection.
I think it’s so wonderful, in human nature, that the bonds
of love we possess are stretched out, not only to those we should love, meaning
each other, but also to God’s creatures that are put here to be our companions.
Josh Billing said, “A dog is the only
creature on earth that loves you more than they love themselves.” This
world would be a far better place, for all of us, if we could find that same
unconditional love for each other that dogs give to us. Dogs are many things to
many people but they are not hypocrites like man can be. In my moments of
sadness I have found it hard to remain sad when a seventy-five pound Labrador
crawls into my lap to lick away my tears.
Instead of Gus and Honey in our lives now, for Andrea and
me, it’s now Molly and Brutus. The curtain has been reopened and the stage has
been reset. For sure they are different doggie personalities, but buddies just
the same. Being old myself, I’m not sure who will cry over whose grave this
time when the grim reaper comes again. Maybe for me that will be the easy way
out, but I’m a realist, so I’ll leave that one to the powers that be. For now,
I’m going to take my buddy for a walk or maybe she is taking me—either way, it
works for both of us.
Love
Mike & Molly
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