Originally Posted by
Palmer's Mom
It has been almost 4 months since Palmer crossed over. I thought I was doing "pretty well." Thanksgiving dinnertime came and we sat down in the "formal" dining room to enjoy our meal. (We have a small table which the two of us dine at most of the time.) It suddenly hit me that Palmer was missing. Whenever we sat in the dining room (3 or 4 times a year), Palmer would sit underneath the table. I'd never see him go there, but if I looked for him and looked under the tablecloth, I always saw him sitting at attention! He never begged for anything. He would sit there ready to taste any morsel. Once I finished eating, I would pick him up, to table height, and sit him on my lap. He loved being one of the "adults." On rare occasion he would sit at my side, looking forlorn, like-"Hey! You know I'm here!!.) He never spoke and had the patience of a saint. Well, Thursday I silently cried through most of the dinner. There is still such a hole left now that he is gone.
I dread thinking of Christmas morning,. He LOVED unwrapping presents. He loved the crinkle of the paper. He could always somehow find the gifts that were for him. And when he had had enough excitement, he would stretch out, between my legs, on the recliner and stay there as long as I would. If I had to let him down in order to stretch my legs, he always understood. He was ready at any minute to come back up.
We think we have a puppy in the making. There is a mama with four little pups "in the oven." If all goes well, at the end of January we will be taking quite a road trip/vacation and then be bringing home our newest family member. It's wonderful to think about the little guy or gal bouncing around as puppies do. (It's not wonderful to think about going through house training!)
Still I sometimes carry his collar in my pocket. Still I have on our bed the stuffed, squeaky duck that is every bit as big as he was....with the stiff area on the hip, where he sucked on it like Linus's blanket.
I love him so and so would like to have him back-but healthy, of course. His "ending" was so sudden. I just wasn't prepared. Perhaps one never is.
This is a wonderful forum and full of such loving people. I hope you'll share my new puppy adventure with me. I am so NOT meant to not have a dog.
Happy holidays everyone. May all of you, especially those of you with the still raw wounds, remember the good times. They are looking out over us.
-Susan