Thankful Doesn't Even Cover It

The last year has been one that has challenged me personally in ways that I cannot even put into words. Losing Katie and Sydney truly rocked my world. On top of that, there was another event in my life that brought a lot of old feelings to the surface. I am not going to lie, a great deal of time surrounding these events were spent in sadness and anger. I have gained a lot of perspective, but I could not have done that without the love of my sweet Cocoa Bean.

We don't spend our Thanksgiving going around the table sharing what we are thankful for, so I am not sure how this conversation emerged. Cocoa was able to join us at mom's for dinner this year, and we were so pleased with her behavior. I made the comment that I was so thankful for her. Christian laughed about how most people were thankful for their health or their families, but I was thankful for the dog (Of course, he is really thankful for her too. It was more of an opportunity to give me a hard time). 

I have had some time to reflect on this, and I don't know that thankful even covers how I feel about having Cocoa in my life in the last year. During these overwhelming periods of loss, I know that she was my rock. My sadness was apparently so evident, and she knew that I was hurting. She stayed by my side as I wallowed in my feelings. Her sensitive nature and compassionate demeanor helped with the healing that I so desperately needed this year.

If your Thanksgiving did not include being thankful for your four-legged family members, take a few minutes to consider what they have added to your life over the last year. You may find, like I did, that they have contributed so much more than you even realized. 

You are my Sunshine

Sunshine is a powerful force of nature. Not sure why sunshine is on my mind right now. Maybe it's the fact that it is twenty something degrees right now. Maybe it's because we are approaching the one year anniversary of our loss of Katie (boy, that girl worshipped the sun). Who knows...

Sunshine has the ability to bring out unique characteristics in our pets. For some, this love of the sun almost borders on obsessive as was the case with Katie. During the summer she lived to be on the front porch. She could be out there without a leash and would never move off the porch. The priority for her was the warmth of the sun. The hotter the better. There are times that we would touch her and her black fur would be scorching. 

Sydney had a very different response to the sunshine. She would flop over on her back and slide down the hill. This action is what earned her the nickname the Blonde Otter. It was so amazing that this arthritic girl could move like this. I often wondered if the warmth of the grass felt good to her joints. 

Take a close look and you can see Sydney shimmying down the hill on her back. 

Cocoa is the odd animal out when it comes to sun, because even Jack is a sun lover. He loves to be on the screen porch in the summer. You often find him sunbathing. Even when it is not summer, he seeks out the sun. I watched the other day as his position moved several times over the day. Basically, as the sun coming from the window moved, so did Jack. 

The fourth pose I took of Jack as he followed the sun. 

The great outdoors are wonderful for our animals when it is warm outside. They often embrace it and seem to love every moment they spend outside. However, as we bypass fall and go straight to winter, please remember your pets. While there may be some sunshine, it definitely is not warm outside.