FRIENDS

Monday, May 3, 2010

THE SADNESS OF WISDOM AND MATURITY

This is a true love story written by a guy and the love he has for his dogs.
The guy is my oldest son and the doggies are my grand-doggies. Grab your tissues.


Back in 1999 I was blessed to have a 7 week old yellow lab come into my life. I wanted to name him Beau, but realized that it rhymed with "no" so I chose another name. Because he was yellow like sunshine, and also because he was my son I named him Sunny. At first the spelling was "Sonny" and that was how everyone knew him. He was young and boxy headed, he looked like a puppy on a calender. I never thought about all the tomorrows. I lived in the day with him and we came to be best friends. I never strayed far from home because I could never trust that anyone else would treat him with them love and devotion that I did. But I was young and impatient. I angered so easily when he showed his stubborn side. Still though, I loved him as much as my heart could love anything.

Six months later another dog came into my life. She was a small emaciated black dog with a curious mix: chow and lab. She got the best qualities of both breeds. I fell in love with her from the start, and she and Sonny became like brother and sister. They were my children. I named her" Daisy May" because she made me smile the smell of a daisy on a warm spring day. She went everywhere that I went and would sit between my feet for hours accepting love and affection and giving adoration in return. But again I was young and impatient. I angered when she was stubborn and the more angry I became the more stubborn she became. How ironic it was that she and I were so alike. It came to a contest of wills and I thought that I had won, but I often wondered at what price. I often regret how angry I became in those days. It saddens me to know that at times she feared me. Like Sonny, she was my true best friend and I loved her as much as my heart could muster.

They were so young and so strong. Their energy was something hard to comprehend. They were keen to see and smell, sleek and graceful. They were like perfection made into a physical form. The days were long... there was no question that they would last forever. No idea, no thought. What a fool I was.

Now the days are short. They sit beside me after 11 years. 11 years that have been filled with a kind of love that most people never know. 11 horribly short and mortal years. They are old and their eyes have turned green from the film that covers them with age, robbing them of the once keen eyesight they both had. They wimper from pain while they sleep and their faces have become frosted with white. Their eyes are sunken and watery. They move slowly but when I come home their tails wag like they did when they where young. When I pray I beg the Lord for more time. Each morning I shake them to make sure they are still with me. I wake in the night scared because they are not in the room and I get up and walk the house looking for them. When I find them we lay together and talk. I kiss them and stroke them and tell them what good children they are and that they are my best friends. Then I go to bed and fall into an uneasy sleep. When I leave the house I tell them each how much I love them and as I drive away I pray again. I beg for more time.

I have made all the arrangements for them to be in a peaceful place after time claims them from me. I will place angels above them and they will rest sound with their toys, next to each other... close enough to hear each other and not be scared. My children, my best friends. I will honor them for all the days that I have left for the friendship and love, the times they were there for me when no one else was. And when they leave, a great part of me, some of the best that I am will leave with them.

Today we sat in the yard and played fetch. Daisy did the things she'd always done and I remembered how her aggressiveness would make me angry when I was younger, when they where younger. I smiled this time and thought about how I have grown, how I've learned the sad secret: tomorrow is not promised to us. love all you can and give everything you can today. Celebrate this moment because soon these moments will be taken from you.

The thing that is painful in life is that we learn to appreciate love and friendship too late in life. By the time we settle down and accept our loved ones for who they are our days together have grown short. Each day we have together is the most special day of our lives. The next hour is the most special.

Lance Wendling

16 comments:

  1. My tears are for you & me......How true.
    Love,
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Mollye,
    You have touched my heart today. I wish we could keep those we love forever. Bless you for being so faithful to your furry friends.

    hugs
    Sissie

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't stand it. {cry} We just put our dog down last week. We found him as a stray 10 years ago.

    His story is so like what we had been doing and thinking recently.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beautiful tribute to the love we have for our furry children. Your son has moved me to tears. What a wonderful young man and such love! Praying for a few more days with his very loved pups!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well Miz. M. you have done it again. A truly inspiring post, full of love and wisdom. Your blog looks great with the lace, pearls, lavender and such. It is more fun to search around and find new looks and new backgrounds. It will be a week before I have your things to mail, I have to get some things together from my daughter. Since I only went to Churchill Downs virtually, she has the thingies I wanted.
    Blessings
    QMM

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mollye,
    I have been where you are....it is never easy but thank God we can give them peace when it is too much......I loved reading this post and thinking about your message...thank you for reminding me of how love works!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so sorry your dogs are getting older and sick. Don't you wish they could live forever?

    It reminds me of C.S. Lewis when he found his wife Joy and she had cancer - Is it worth pain later, to have the joy now?

    Yes, it is.

    sandie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, ya made ME cry, sugar. What a sweet post to those furry friends you love so much. It also reminds me of myself and hubby. We're in the twilight of our lives also and.....well, I don't want to start sobbing, but you get the picture. I understand what you're saying, chickee....
    xoxo,
    Connie

    ReplyDelete
  9. well! lance is a very blessed guy to have a loving mother such as you, mizmollye. and of course, he is much blessed to have sweet sunny and daisy in his life.

    his words brought back memories of my younger days (with three small children, a full-time job, etc.) when i wasn't as patient or kind with our precious pup, buddy. yet buddy was always, always thrilled at my presence and loved me unconditionally.

    god rest his sweet soul.

    thank you for sharing lance's words with us ... and please thank him for writing them.

    hugs,
    terry lee

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mamma, thanks for posting this. When I wrote it the words seemed to flow from my heart just like the tears from my eyes.

    Someone once said "It is a terrible thing to love that which is someday touched by death"

    I love you ma! Hope you have a great day and thank you to all you folks with your wonderful words.
    Lance

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very well written. My tears are falling down my cheeks because this is so true for all who love there faithful pets.
    Thank you for sharing this. It pains me deeply to even think of the day I will have to let go of my two buddies.
    God Bless Your Heart
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh, what can I say ... there are no words; only tears. Your son has such a gift, Molly -- both for the gift of writing, but more importantly, for his ability to love. You must be so proud!
    Please thank him for making my day a little better!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you Mollye for posting this. Your son is a wonderful guy and quite the writer, too. When I read what he wrote about the words flowing from his heart, I had one of my ESP moments, because that's what I've always said about one of my first published stories....the words flowed out of me, onto the keyboard of my computer! I feel the same way about pets. Our present dog is 13 and so I've been very aware for at least a year, to be as sweet and loving to her as often as I can! I have a few pics of her on my blog and have a new one to post soon! Thanks again, Mollye! Since you're a wonderful mom, you have a wonderful son! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm all out of tissue, my keyboard is wet and will probably short out before I finish, but I just have to say that his heart is yours and you are both treasures. I'm going now to kiss Dolly and Ruby goodnight...again!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hey Sweet Mollye,
    Well, I'm sitting here bawling. Anyone who knows me and has visited my blog knows i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my furry boys. If I had my way, my blog would be called Moments With Freddy & Maui...or something like that.
    So you know this blog was just extra special to me. I believe you are all blessed to have each other.
    Mollye...you have a huge heart and clearly your son has too. Thank you so much to Lance for sharing his thoughts and feelings and to you for passing them on to us!!!
    XOXOXOX
    Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your son is a great writer, I have a big lump in my throat thinking of my boy Andy, a blonde, blonde Golden Retriever who we had to put to sleep at age 11. We often wonder now if we should have done more for him, you always feel a guilt I think when you are the one making that decision. It is the hardest thing to do and I have been through it twice and now have my new baby.
    We certainly have more patience for our newest baby now that we are older.
    Bless you for giving such love to your pup's Lance.
    Lynn

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking your valuable time to tell me what you are thinking about!