A Little Christmas Blog Post

Christmas time I think of Gracie.  After all, she spent seventeen Christmases with us.  That's a lot.  We put her under the tree with the rest of the gifts when she was a baby.  After all, she was my Christmas present that year.  She was the best one I have ever received, to be honest.  

That first Christmas was filled with such happiness.  We had just purchased our bargain home for $39,000 so we could *ahem* get a dog.  It didn't need much work because it belonged to a meticulous older lady who left the place spotless and beautiful.  We did finish the basement though, and oh, what a wonderful place of recreation that turned out to be for us and our new dog.  

I remember ordering the off-white plush carpet to be installed before we moved in, and then, the white dog weeks later.  White carpet and white dog went together like...  WAIT...  

Now if Gracie were here, she would have a different story.  But I am here to share that potty training that little stinker took over a year.  It seemed I was constantly on my hands and knees scrubbing that white carpet. 

The pages of time seem to turn more quickly as we get older.  Before I knew it, our bargain home had been sold to buy a home that we could turn into a business along a busy highway.  Gracie didn't mind the move.  She was adventurous like that. 

Fast forward to the end of that chapter.  The part where Gracie would be leaving us and my heart would break so tragically that I did not know how there could be another chapter going forward.  I could not remember life without her, so how could I think of tomorrow with no white dog hanging around.  

Gracie's last Christmas

HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY GRACIE

 Getting a puppy helped with my grief after losing Gracie.  There was no doubt about it; I needed a distraction from the pain.  Bubbles offered that distraction.  As she grew, I fell hopelessly in love.  

But I'm not here to talk about Bubbles.  Had she lived another two years, Gracie would have been twenty years old today.  

I miss so much about her.  This was her favorite time of year when the days cooled, and we would walk along the quiet of the towpath, me drinking in the beauty of God's nature and she, nose to the ground, sniffing out the things God provided for her enjoyment.  She wasn't anxiety-ridden and afraid like our new dog is.  Gracie was ready for an adventure and afraid of very little.  She might try to pick a fight with a dog or two along the way, but still, no fear.  

She was heroic in that she never gave up trying to enjoy life.  Even when she could barely stand alone, she was ready for her next walk.  

Happy Heavenly birthday, sweet girl.  You are missed and loved.

FOREVER YOUNG 

LOOK-A-LIKE

Maybe getting a dog that looks so much like Gracie was a mistake.  Maybe not.  

I find myself comparing them a lot, which is unfair. To my advantage, Bubbles pays little attention to this fact as long as she is loved, fed, exercised, and loved some more. 

Dogs are good like that.  

I believe Bubbles is grateful that Gracie paved the way for her --- for example, Tennis courts.

Gracie loved the tennis courts.  And if possible, I'd say Bubbles loves playing at the tennis courts even more!  I miss Gracie and her ways.  But this little Gracie look-a-like has won me over, and there is room in my heart for both - and for all of the pets I ever owned. 

GRACIE

BUBBLES