“Oh…My
Sweet Daisy, Goodnight, Rest Well And—At Last—Know True Peace”
(
November 17, 1999 to June 29, 2013 )
06/29/13
To
my dearest, dearest friends, and ever-loyal, constant readers,
About twenty minutes or so ago, my wonderful canine
friend and companion—Daisy—struggled to breathe her last, and as I held her,
telling her how very much I love her, she simply stopped breathing, and slipped
away.
I was telephoning my neighbor as I had suspected
that she was failing; moments later, I telephoned him to say that she had died.
Later on—this afternoon—my neighbors said that they
would stop by to bury Daisy out in the back yard, in front of the open shed
where my Mom had discovered her back in November of 1999.
Daisy had been sleeping, and I had awakened her to
help her get up so I could give her her pain medication. It is my most fervent hope that when she
passed away, it was without pain.
No matter how long we both have prepared for this, I
am empty, sad, left alone for the first time in over thirteen years. Daisy was always there when I gave up the day
to go to bed, and—every morning—I would—of late—find her sleeping restfully in the
study, on her favorite rug.
On many mornings, I had to pause to look at her to
ensure that she was still breathing; this afternoon’s ragged breaths were
different.
How quickly she died…there was no struggle as such,
no frantic behavior, but—maybe—a kind of weariness and a sudden indifference to
life that allowed her to slip away.
I got her all cleaned up, and covered her to the
neck with a small pink-colored spread, done in all-over hearts; that is what my
neighbor will bury her in.
Strange…or maybe not so strange is that I feel lost,
but numb; the days of tears will come later.
Strange—also—is that I feel some slight measure of
relief, knowing that Daisy’s suffering is over, never mind that mine will
continue.
While I cannot in verity speak for other animals,
other pets, I have always believed that dogs can know happiness…and love; the
happiness causes them to smile (quite literally), and the love is returned a
thousand-fold.
And, lately, I would get down on all fours to hug
her, whisper into her ears, to tell her how beautiful she was, and just how
very much I loved her. Often times, she would come to me, head down, so that I
could again hold her, and tell her of my love.
It is my singularly quiet thought that our pets DO precede
us into Heaven, or, some state of lasting bliss. And that one day (if I am very, very
fortunate), I might—perhaps—catch a glimpse of her across the mists of a Great
Divide, and that she will be waiting for me (even as I most truly hope that my
wonderful mother and father will be there waiting for me).
And all, ever young, healthy, and free can be
reunited to smell the sweet grasses, and Edenic flowers.
Daisy will be able to run and play again with a
reassuring sense of permanence and joy!
My dearest, dearest friends who have pets in your
lives, please take some extra time—today—to join them on their level if you
can, but to hold them, scratch their ears, and whisper to them of your love;
hold tightly to them, for all too soon, they must leave us.
I am writing this to you, my wonderful friends, even
as it tears me up inside, because I think it is so important.
I would ask, kindly, if you are so inclined, to
please say prayers for both Daisy and me.
If nothing else, my dearest friends, I fully believe
that it is the love that we can hold tightly to, and take with us, no matter
what plain of existence we may find ourselves on. It is the love…the love…the
love…always the love.
Please,
please know that I think about you so very often, and want so much for you to
be untroubled and well; and that I love you dearly!
‘Zahc’/Charles
