Cindy & I spent a number of times this weekend…thinking
about our missing family member…Zoe.
Zoe liked to sleep on the floor beside Cindy…so every
time Cindy got out of bed…she had to step over the big mound of golden
retriever lying beside her. During this weekend…out of habit…Cindy kept making
that ‘big’ step when she got out of bed…only to be reminded she didn’t have to.
I noticed I did the same thing this morning when I got
ready for work. I usually had to step around Zoe as I walked over to the closet
to get clothes to slip on each morning. I got ready to make that ‘step around’
this morning…but didn’t need to.
We thought often about Zoe as we heard noises during the
night…noises that reminded us of her. We thought about her as we looked in the
corner of the kitchen where she spent most of her time…but she wasn’t there. The
thunder that rumbled early this morning…made me think about Zoe…(she hated
thunder!)
That big old golden girl was a part of nearly a quarter
of our lives…13 years. It will take us a while to get adjusted to…when we don’t
see something or hear something that reminds us of her. I still look at her
picture…with those white facial hairs she developed as she aged…and smile.
She’s gone…but the memory of her isn’t…and maybe never will be.
We have had 2 wonderful dogs during our years in
Lafayette. After moving to our current home…we got a black lab…Layla. Layla
helped the girls as they grew through those awful teen years. About 5 years
later…in an effort to keep Layla company…and out of the simple fact of falling
in love with that fluffy little round butter-ball we would call Zoe…we had
found 2 wonderful dogs. Wonderful for our girls…wonderful for Cindy & me.
Layla lived to be nearly 10 years old and our hearts broke
when she left us…but we still had Zoe…and that helped. Now our Zoe is gone
too…both now resting out in the garden spot we made for them at the back of our
property.
I don’t think it’s in my heart to have another dog. I
think we found the 2 perfect dogs for us…and I’m doubtful we would ever find
any that could replace them.
My dog raising years are behind me now…but I will carry
wonderful memories of our ‘black and gold’ girls…Layla…and Zoe.
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