Life lessons, here we go.

Try as I might, I may as well throw in the towel: this post will be about my loss.

About 12 years ago, I talked my parents into two delightful puppies. It didn't take much coaxing, really. Blake and Bentley. Brothers. Shelties. Intelligent. Loyal. And beautiful.

I wasn't married then. Heck, I wasn't even engaged to Larry yet, let alone thinking of adopting one precious little baby girl from China.

They were my boyfriends. I was their mistress. If my parents were gone for mere hours or a week, they were mine. And Larry was just as committed to them, a doggie lover to the core.  

This morning, we said good-bye to Blake, a blue merle with crooked ears, crazy blue eyes and more than a good dose of spunk. 

(click on photo to enlarge)

His body said it was time and it happened so quickly that I've not been able to ready myself with the onslaught of questions I will get from a certain little girl. Ella is at my parents' two days a week. Blake and Bentley are just as much (if not more) her pets than her always-sleeping-cranky-squawking 15 year old Simba kitty.

I have enlisted the help of mamas who have gone before me in this regard and as a result, there are several books awaiting us at the library up the street.

She will see her Grandma and Papa cry a bit over the next few weeks. That's just fine. It is normal, especially for this family. She will watch her mama struggle while she reads books about doggies going to heaven, rainbow bridges and the like. Life lessons don't fit into neat, pretty little packages.

I'm so glad we still have Bentley with us. I hope he adjusts to this loss and continues to herd and bark and prance around like the regal man he is.

I hope that Ella takes special care of him while at Grandma and Papa's house each week. I hope they can sit and share stories of life with Blake.

~H