Carolyn R
Well-Known Member
I had a sobering reminder this morning that, as many of you already know, we must stop to smell the flowers and enjoy life.
After several days of steady decline, we have come to the conclusion that we will have to put our lab down today. I knew it was coming, he is fourteen. This morning I told my daughter she needed to go give him some love and tell him he's a good boy. She is almost 16, so the reasoning behind my request was blatantly clear. I worked through that quagmire of emotions, wiped away her tears, gave her a hug and sent her onto the bus.
I left the house to get a load of hay. On the 10 minute drive I contemplated how my son, at 9 years of age, was going to handle the news and saying good bye to our lab before going of to elementary school. My father was getting my son together for school until I got back with my hay. While driving, my mind drifted to some of my favorite moments with the kids and our lab, Hunter. Undoubtedly some of my favorite pics popped into my mind, moments of the kids playing with him (in this digital age, please remember to take lots of photos and capture those memories!).
I started getting pretty misty eyed just prior to reaching the farm I get my hay from. Thought I should wipe away my tears so I didn't look too much like I had a rough night out. I noticed some flares on the roadside still burning but down to the last few inches. There is a bad turn in the road, there were some cinders and glass fragments, and I thought , I hope their okay, looks like it was bad, maybe it looks worse than it was.....and with that I put things into perspective with our dog,......he is old, he was loved, and he never spent an afternoon in a rain or snowstorm unless he was out playing with the kids, and he never spent a night outside. As far as dogs go, he had a pretty good life.
A mile down the road I found myself pulling into the driveway to get my hay. I lined up my trailer and waited for George (out of respect I always find myself calling him Mr.Teter). He is the sweetest 90 year old man. He can still sling a bail of hay better than most guys 1/3 rd of his age. His dog adores him, is always at his heals for hours on end when he is farming the fields with the tractor. He is a great guard dog, but has taken a special likening to me. Mr.Teter insists that dogs have good instincts about a person with a good soul. I attribute it to the fact that I always pet him up and have a pocket full of treats for him.
Today, Mr.Teter seemed different, he wasn't sick, he wasn't annoyed, he just seemed off. He threw the hay bails down to the ground and I preceeded to start loading them. He was much faster than usual in doing this task. After he stepped down and began to help me load the remaining bails, he turned to me, and began to tell me his morning had an awful start. It was then that I could see the pain on his face and his heart breaking as he began to tell me that he just got news that his grandson had been killed in a car accident just outside of town. My heart broke for him. All I could do is give him a huge hug and tell him how sorry I was. I knew the flares i passed were set for that accident.
He has, in his 90 years, seen huge amounts of joy and heartbreak, no doubt, and in that moment I think I saw him age ten years before my eyes.
There was no anger, or bitterness, but just the conclusion that each day is a gift, take it, enjoy it, be thankful for it and do our best to let go of our anger and not hold grudges. Stop and take the time to smell the flowers, say thank you, or give someone a heartfelt hug and an " I am glad your here." life is precious, no matter how big or small, or how young or old, please take time today to stop and smell the flowers......
After several days of steady decline, we have come to the conclusion that we will have to put our lab down today. I knew it was coming, he is fourteen. This morning I told my daughter she needed to go give him some love and tell him he's a good boy. She is almost 16, so the reasoning behind my request was blatantly clear. I worked through that quagmire of emotions, wiped away her tears, gave her a hug and sent her onto the bus.
I left the house to get a load of hay. On the 10 minute drive I contemplated how my son, at 9 years of age, was going to handle the news and saying good bye to our lab before going of to elementary school. My father was getting my son together for school until I got back with my hay. While driving, my mind drifted to some of my favorite moments with the kids and our lab, Hunter. Undoubtedly some of my favorite pics popped into my mind, moments of the kids playing with him (in this digital age, please remember to take lots of photos and capture those memories!).
I started getting pretty misty eyed just prior to reaching the farm I get my hay from. Thought I should wipe away my tears so I didn't look too much like I had a rough night out. I noticed some flares on the roadside still burning but down to the last few inches. There is a bad turn in the road, there were some cinders and glass fragments, and I thought , I hope their okay, looks like it was bad, maybe it looks worse than it was.....and with that I put things into perspective with our dog,......he is old, he was loved, and he never spent an afternoon in a rain or snowstorm unless he was out playing with the kids, and he never spent a night outside. As far as dogs go, he had a pretty good life.
A mile down the road I found myself pulling into the driveway to get my hay. I lined up my trailer and waited for George (out of respect I always find myself calling him Mr.Teter). He is the sweetest 90 year old man. He can still sling a bail of hay better than most guys 1/3 rd of his age. His dog adores him, is always at his heals for hours on end when he is farming the fields with the tractor. He is a great guard dog, but has taken a special likening to me. Mr.Teter insists that dogs have good instincts about a person with a good soul. I attribute it to the fact that I always pet him up and have a pocket full of treats for him.
Today, Mr.Teter seemed different, he wasn't sick, he wasn't annoyed, he just seemed off. He threw the hay bails down to the ground and I preceeded to start loading them. He was much faster than usual in doing this task. After he stepped down and began to help me load the remaining bails, he turned to me, and began to tell me his morning had an awful start. It was then that I could see the pain on his face and his heart breaking as he began to tell me that he just got news that his grandson had been killed in a car accident just outside of town. My heart broke for him. All I could do is give him a huge hug and tell him how sorry I was. I knew the flares i passed were set for that accident.
He has, in his 90 years, seen huge amounts of joy and heartbreak, no doubt, and in that moment I think I saw him age ten years before my eyes.
There was no anger, or bitterness, but just the conclusion that each day is a gift, take it, enjoy it, be thankful for it and do our best to let go of our anger and not hold grudges. Stop and take the time to smell the flowers, say thank you, or give someone a heartfelt hug and an " I am glad your here." life is precious, no matter how big or small, or how young or old, please take time today to stop and smell the flowers......
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