I know that spending more time in reflection would do an amazing amount of good for me.
"I've never been one for quiet reflection..."
"I am the catalyst for any and all chaos...the ground zero for an un-expected break from the ordinary."
Yes. I can look back and agree with those statements. NOT without some discomfort and grief.
But, in the present, I compare my current life with the life I lived before.
I work. I work hard. I have always worked hard. However, now I work with additional purpose. I have a family to think about. No, it isn't a husband a children. I work to care for myself, and to care for my mother - to be able to handle the emergencies that arise from time to time. I work towards my future--saving and planning for the day that I might retire (as if it will ever happen...I know the stock from which I was built...we work non-stop until the day we die.)
I work so that I can take care of my little loves. Those three pups get the best of me...and they deserve every bit of it. I've been surrounded by unconditional love of the canine variety since 2005.
I recently told another family member that my pups are my priority. The day that I held each of them for the first time, I vowed to love and care for them for the rest of their lives. They might frustrate me, but they are the most amazing examples of unconditional love. I made a promise to each of them that will never be broken.
I first held Topher as a tiny, wiggly pup of seven weeks. My parents had decided that I needed companionship. Their poor, newly divorced daughter needed SOMETHING to love. And, love I did. That tiny bundle got the best of everything...food, treats, training. I poured my heart and soul into that tiny little life....and cuddled and held him when the world was far too harsh for me.
Today? He's a headstrong, stubborn old man who is over ten years old.
I adopted Brutus from the SPCA when he was three years old. I heard about him on a "Pet of the Week" segment on a local radio station. The second I got to the office, I pulled up the segment. And, that little face sold me. I was waiting outside of the SPCA offices thirty minutes before they opened....because I KNEW that he was meant to be mine. By the time I walked out of there, holding my new little man...there were over one dozen people waiting in line to adopt him. I'm sorry. God gave him to me -- and that has been proven time and time again.
I never even considered another dog. In fact, had you suggested it? I would have told you to shut your mouth. My boys were more than enough for me...
Then, in October of 2010...my mother and sister placed a tiny, five-week old puppy into my arms. And, I was a goner. Now, over four years later? She has proven to be the biggest drain on my financial resources, and the biggest headache I have ever experienced....but I wouldn't trade Lucy Furr for the world. I can look at that tiny little face, with her little bit of blue-eyed innocence (thanks to the bit of dapple dachshund in her lineage)...and realize that she is just hell-bent on living her life to the fullest.
People seem to come and go --- even those who swear that they will stay....
But, my pups were, are and will be my loves and the best examples of the the love that one doesn't truly deserve, but is sooo thankful to receive.
