I wanted to write this post the moment I started getting comments from friends and then from friends of friends, but I knew it would be an emotional one, so I put it off. I can't put it off anymore though.
You wonderful people sent me more wonderful people to offer words of comfort?
I am so blessed and so grateful to you.
Every comment that appeared in my e-mail made me cry. I'm so grateful for each one.
I can not thank you guys enough; words cannot express.
I want to give an extra thank you to Janet of
Basset Momma and Leslie of
Bringing Up Bella. I feel as if you two sent me an army of kind and thoughtful people to offer me their condolences. It made me feel so blessed and so loved, thank you both from the bottom of my heart.
I also want to give an extra thank you to Carly, my best friend. You used nearly every means of communication to send me your love and condolences, and I'm truly sorry I dodged every one of them for days. It honestly meant so much to me, I just didn't know what to say, I still don't know what to say, other than thank you.
Thank you Nola, Brianne, Pixel, Cotton, Essex and Sherman and their Dog Dad, Daisy's Mom, Kim, Theresa & Prudence, Donna, H and Flo, Teje, Cindy, HoundDogMom, Val, Julie, Melissa and Yuki and Rocket, the brown dawgs, Cinnamon and Linda, KSO (Betty), Pauley, and Collie222— I hope I didn't miss anyone— your kind words mean so much to me.
I feel I should give a little update on things around here.
It has been quiet and empty and lonely without my sweet Ella.
Lassie has taken it pretty hard, but you guys would be so proud of Petal. She has really stepped it up over the past few days. She makes sure Lassie and I get up and she makes sure we still go for our walks and we still play and have a little fun. I honestly don't know what we would do without her, but we probably wouldn't be leaving the couch all that often.
She always seems to know when I'm about to lose it and she knows exactly what to do, whether it be cuddling with me and letting me cry, or doing something extremely goofy to make me smile instead.
Lassie has been clingy. Tuesday I ran a few errands with my Mom, hoping that getting out of the house would help, and when I came home I was told by my Dad and my siblings that Lassie actually howled while I was away. He doesn't do that often and usually he's pretty upset when he does do it.
I took a shower that night and Mom said Lassie cried for me.
He follows me from room to room. He's licked away a lot of tears and offered many hours worth of snuggles.
Lassie is wonderfully understanding when it comes to mourning and he brings me so much comfort. Petal has as well, but she also reminds me that— despite how hard it may be— I have to keep going.
Sometimes going, going, going helps, but sometimes... I really hate it.
How can everything keep moving and going after Ella left so suddenly?
Like she did with everything else in her life, she left so quickly.
One morning I thought I heard her shifting and getting comfortable in her crate.
When I leave the house I look for three furry faces to say "Be good! I'll be back!" to.
When I walk in the door I expect to see her dancing around me with a toy in her mouth.
I wake up in the morning, ready to feed and care for three dogs, and quickly realize there's only two now.
I miss her so much.
Labels: ella, lassie, petal, thank you
