Its been 3 weeks since Maverick died. I no longer cry like a little girl, but I'm prone to welling up at a moment's notice. Fine if alone, but not if I'm in the testosterone-laden cesspool known as Gold's Gym. I'm able to spend more time in the house by myself, and the pictures and videos I watch bring more smiles than sadness.
Almost lost in the grief of losing my dog was good news shared by mom the day after Mav's passing. Mom had battled cancer (courageously, of course) for 6 years. Breast, thyroid, and lymph node. On the day after Maverick died I was talking with mom and she shared the news that the doctors had pronounced her cancer-free. She knocked out all 3, something the doctors honestly didn't expect from someone mom's age. I was happy to hear it, of course, but my sadness about Maverick kept the happiness tempered. I'd been hoping for this day for 6 years, and when it came I think I said something stupid like "Sweet!". I was still in a fog.
Ok, here's the corny part: I have this picture in my head. Maverick arrives in heaven. Sure he's a little confused (his 4th leg is back!), but they do the best to make him comfortable. He has his entry interview and is asked if he has any concerns.
"I don't have any concerns about myself, but my daddy's really sad right now. Can you do something to cheer him up?"
"I don't know, Maverick", replied the gatekeeper, "We get a lot of requests up here."
"Yeah, I know, but aren't those usually prayers from below? I know Mom said she prayed every night for me. Still does. I'd think once we get here we wouldn't need to ask for anything"
The gatekeeper gave thought to Maverick's argument. "You make a good point. What did you have in mind?
"Well, daddy's mom- my gramma- has been really sick. Can you make her get better?"
"I'll see what I can do", said the gatekeeper. "We get thousands of requests a day"
With that, Mav boarded the Jeep to take him to the Boneyard, to play and fetch and eat and sleep. He didn't have the people he loved by his side, but he at least tried to make sure that our sadness could be eased if for a little while by some uplifting news. And then I got the call the next day. The cancer was gone, and to celebrate, my parents are coming to Vegas.
The subject line warned you of corniness ahead, and if you've come this far, I don't think you hated it. Without a bit of corniness, the realities of life (and death) are overwhelming. I'd like to think that even though he'll no longer lay at my feet, he'll be looking out for his daddy as much as his daddy looked out for him.
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2 comments:
I loved this. I'm not even religious and I loved this. I understand the love and connection we can have with our pets and their short life-spans are a tragedy. It is interesting to see this trade off, though. It helps, but it doesn't fix the void left by the pet that passed. I truly hope all is well for you and yours.
P.S. - I still like radio. I listen to 99.9 KISW The Rock in Seattle and love both their morning and afternoon talk shows. They're really funny. I'd go crazy without the radio to keep me sane. Makes me feel like I'm connected with other humans. Just listening to the MP3 player can make me feel lonely.
Oh I am so sorry about the sad news!
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