To Marianne

[maggiesmomma]

Well, my friend....here we are again...another anniversary.

I hope you and the girls are doing well. Jolly and Annabel and I are doing fine. I finally (after 2 years and 8 months) sold the house in Anderson, so we are here at the lake for good. It was harder and more painful than I thought it would be, but it is over now and we are going on with our new life. I know my Maggie would have loved it here....if only.....

We are thinking of you and your sweet Barkis today....remembering and sending you much love and many hugs.

Love,
Jeanie

[labblab]

Oh my dear friend, thank you so much for your note today. Can you believe it has been seven years???

I am so glad to hear that you and the girls are settled in at the lake. I can imagine how hard it was to leave the house. But you will carry your memories with you wherever you go, so the house will never be totally lost to you and it will always remain a home in your heart.

This has been a challenging year for us so far. My older girl, Peg, will be seven next month. She was born just one month after Barkis died. Unfortunately, she started having seizures after the first of the year. We have not uncovered a cause but she has responded well to phenobarb treatment. But also since that time, it has seemed like a non-stop series of issues. The worst was an acute pancreatitis attack in June, and she is now having GI problems again. She has lost a fair amount of weight, and also a lot of her coat. But she remains my brave, steady girl. And we hope that things will soon settle down. Having gone through all our pain with Barkis, it is hard not to feel scared sometimes. But I'm sure he is watching over his little sister, and will help us with whatever the future holds.

Baby Luna will soon be three. And aside from limping every once in a while for reasons also unknown, she is a ball of fire and a love-bug. She follows me everywhere I go, although she is thrilled if the "following" involves heading out to the yard to run around with her ball.

As always on this day, though, my thoughts return to Barkis. My dear, sweet boy. We will always love him and remember him and miss him. Thank you again, Jeanie. It always means so much to me to talk with you. Big hugs to you and the girls. And today and everyday, in honor of Barkis and Maggie and all the other loved ones...

We held them in our arms for as long as we could. Now we will hold them in our hearts forever.

Marianne

[zoesmom]

Marianne -

Thinking of you as well today. As you know, I joined not long after Barkis crossed the bridge but I always felt like I knew him. And to think that Peg is almost 7 now!! That's so hard to believe because I remember when you first got her. I'm sorry to hear she's having some problems now. Glad the phenobarb helps as seizures are not fun.

How time flies and yet the memories linger on in our hearts. The pain softens but there are always those moments that catch us off-guard. Little things and unexpected things that can start the tears rolling. I don't come on K9c too much these days as it brings back so many memories of Zoe -- and then it also saddens me to see who else is going thru a recent loss. Sending hugs your way today. Sue

[Squirt's Mom]

You honor Barkis with every keystroke here. You hold us up when we can't stand on our own, you teach us what we need to know to help our babies, you help maintain the very foundation of this site where kindred souls can gather - you do this and much more out of the love you have for your Bestest Boy. Barkis lives on, even in those of us who never got to meet him, because of you.

With love,
Leslie

[Harley PoMMom]

Oh Marianne, I agree with what Leslie has so beautifully and eloquently written.

In Loving Memory Of Barkis.

With much love and hugs,
Lori

[mytil]

(((((hugs))))) Marianne

T.xxx

[maggiesmomma]

Hello again, my sweet friend!

I thought it might be easier to start a new thread. It took me forever to get on the board...I had forgotten my user name and couldn't read the stupid Captcha's....LOL....getting old, I guess.

Anyhoo....can you believe it is another of our "10ths." ? Where does the time go? I hope this one finds you and yours well and happy. How is our Miss Peg and little Luna? I so hope they are doing well.

The girls and I are doing pretty well. I never realized how difficult it would be to start a whole new life at my age, but we are plugging along. It has been lonely, but I have my Jolly and Annabel to keep me going. They are healthy and happy, and that is the most important thing to me. I did make a new friend this year, and that has helped. I have some wonderful friends here now.

I'll bet Maggie and Barkis are running and playing and looking down on us today and remembering their lives with us with as much love as we will always feel for them. They live on in our hearts, forever.

I hope you stop in today to see this message and know that we are thinking of you and your sweet boy, as always.

Take care, dear friend....

Love and hugs,
Jeanie

[labblab]

Oh Jeanie, thank you so much for your sweet note! I can't tell you how much it means to me that you always remember and are always here for me and for Barkis. Omigoodness, I cannot believe that it is now eight years for Barkis and me, and it will soon be nine for you and sweet Maggie! Some days it all seems like such a long time ago, and other days it seems like it was only yesterday. So many memories...

I am so glad to hear that you and the girls are doing well. I surely do understand the challenges of forging new chapters in our lives. Some changes are welcome, some changes are not. Knock on wood, both Peg and Luna are doing good. Peg's seizures remain well-controlled, and she hasn't had any more pancreatitis since last summer. And thank goodness, Luna's limp seems to have disappeared. So I feel very blessed and very lucky right now.

Thank you again for thinking of us today on "our" day. Your messages are always such special gifts.

Sending many hugs to you and the girls.
And always in loving memory of Barkis and sweet Maggie ~
Marianne

[maggiesmomma]

Hello my friend!

Once again, as I do two times every year, I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face and thinking about your Barkis and my Maggie. Can it possible be that another year has passed?

I hope you and your girls are doing well. I believe you were having some problems before. I hope everything is better now. Life can be so hard sometimes.

I seem to have lost too many Westie friends this year, and each one takes another piece of my already broken heart. I just lost an especially special one yesterday. She was almost 17, but still....it is never long enough. So, I apologize for being overly melancholy today.

But, I sure didn't want to let this day go by and not tell you that we are thinking of you and sending our love....always.....

Love and hugs,
Jeanie

[labblab]

Oh Jeanie, thank you so much for your sweet note. It does seem impossible that another year has already passed by. I know this December will mark a major milestone for you and Maggie. And yet, in so many ways, it still seems like only yesterday, doesn't it?

The losses are so hard, but I guess an inevitable part of our lives as the years pass by. I am grateful for all the years that we DID have together. And I am so very grateful for all the love and support that we share here as a family.

Sending you my best wishes, too, my friend! And sending my thanks and love to you and the girls.
Marianne