...my Golden Retriever, Boomer.
I read about a local dog show this morning and began thinking about her.
Realized I still miss her.
Terribly.
 |
| Boomer, 1994-2009 |
I know many folks in the world are hurting, hungry, homeless, and hopeless.
But I just wanted to take a few moments to
remember her
with you.
 |
| She helped me greet the day, every day, for over 14 years. |
She suffered a stroke in August of 2009.
She'd been hobbling around on arthritic hips for several years.
Be assured, we gave her doggie-type medicine for her aches and pains.
But that morning, I had to come to terms with the finality of her stroke symptoms.
Her head was tilted to 1 side,
She could no longer grin at us for her mouth was slanted in an unfamiliar frown.
She couldn't move off her bed, much less eat.
In the afternoon we took her to the vet.
He gave her 2 shots.
One to calm her.
One to send her quickly to heaven.
We like to think she's gone fishin' with my Dad there.
 |
| She kept her eyes and ears peeled for...squirrels. Oh, how I miss petting her silky fur! |
This morning, I wept as I read about the dog show.
Now I am tear-less.
I truly am thankful for the years we had together.
Years when she acted like the dog she was:
spots on the carpet, chewing on forbidden things, leaving land mines, etc.
Years when her cheesy grin greeted me
without fail
EVERY TIME
she saw me,
even if she was being naughty.
She was always in a good mood.
 |
| She made sure it was safe to... |
 |
| ...enjoy our quiet time on summer mornings. |
In the spring of 2007, I asked God to let her stay healthy
till at least fall,
after our 3rd child got married.
I just couldn't imagine all that planning
without her.
I told God I needed her
sweet, unconditional companionship
as I pondered the wedding.
 |
| She combined these 2 skills seamlessly: vigilance and nap-taking. |
I asked that of the God Who...
created the heavens and the earth,
gave His only Son, Jesus, to be my Savior,
numbers the very hairs on my head,
wipes away every tear from my face.
 |
| She loved car rides. This was the last time she rode in our 20 year old minivan. We gave it to a charity soon after this, dog hair and all. |
As usual, God knew what I needed better that I did.
He let her stick around for another 2 1/2 years.
And when the new school year wasn't far off,
when I began to dread leaving her
in the laundry room all day,
He took her quickly
to heaven.
Okay, NOW I'm choking up.
Not so much because I miss Boomer
-although the heart of God surely knows I do-
but because I'm remembering
His grace, love, and mercy
to me
and to my dog,
pressed down and overflowing.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces...
Surely this is our God;
we trusted in Him,
and He saved us...
let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.
Isaiah 25:8, 9
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
So don't be afraid...
Matthew 10:30, 31
Oh, the abundant grace and love of God!
May you be filled with it today, friend.
Love,
Want to meet lots of other bloggers? Go check these fun blog hops:
Linking up with Kristin, Jaime, & Melissa
Lynn @ Spiritually Unequal Marriage
Java @ Never Growing Old
11 comments:
OK now you made me cry. What a beautiful post, it touched me. Thank you.
www.artsychaos.blogspot.com
~Wendy
Such a pretty dog, I enjoyed your post and pictures.
God bless,
Bethany
Ah, you had me in tears. We also had a dog, a lab/chesapeake, that was our loyal companion. She had a cancerous growth on her leg and because of her age (about 12) the vet said she probably wouldn't make it through the surgery to remove it. We did have her another year to enjoy until it became painful for her.
Thanks for sharing about your precious friend, she was beautiful.
Oh Karen - I feel your pain. We had to put one of our dogs to sleep in December 2009. She was sixteen years old and brought a lot of joy to our lives, but we knew it was time to let her go.
Your Boomer was such a pretty dog. I think our pets are very special.
Blessings,
Joan
How sweet and what a beautiful tribute!
My husband still feels the same about his dog that passed away several years ago due to cancer. :(
That was a beautiful tribute to such an adorable friend.
Hi! I'm a new follower from Java's Follow Friday 40 And Over. So glad to meet you. Love your blog.
Beautiful post about a beautiful relationship. Our wonderful dog, Mattie, died 2 days ago, so your writing was especially meaningful to me today. Thank you.
I am so sorry to hear about your pet. Just following from Follow Friday 40 and Over. Hope you can visit my blog.
www.jamfiescreations1.blogspot.com
Mary O
Your post today was truly beautiful Karen. You are so lucky to have your sweet four-legged companion for such a long time. Thank you for sharing this special story about Boomer.
Thanks also for your words of comfort and support recently. It really meant so much to me. I was going to do a Sunday Song post this week but I just wasn't ready in time. I will hopefully start it up again next week.
I hope you have a wonderful week and thank you again for your friendship.
Best wishes,
Natasha.
Oh how our beloved pets creep into our hearts. How said. We lost our German Shepard (a boy named faith) 2 years ago and we still really miss him. He was 14.
http://doreenmcgettigan.com
Post a Comment