This week we had to say goodbye to Cadbury - our big brown dog, the best kind of chocolate (Labrador). She's been our companion for 11½ years. Now she's gone. And we will miss her every day.
Even though her health had been failing of late, she still had moments where the puppy in her (we thought long since gone) showed itself unexpectedly. Like her sneaky escape through the open garage door, seizing the opportunity for a trip to the park at the end of our street - unaccompanied - and eventually returning home happier for her brazen adventure!
She, who was spending most of her days snoozing in the sun, resting her weary bones.
She, who seemed more and more like a frail, grand old lady.
She, who would never come when she was called. Right from the start. That was our downfall - causing us to fail puppy classes!
We're feeling her absence deeply, but remembering her spirit, her gorgeous velvet ears and her antics make us smile. And we'll always be grateful for the gift of having her as part of our family . . .
"... what we have enjoyed, we can never lose ... all that we love deeply becomes a part of us."
Helen Keller
