by Lauri Angermeier
It was an early August morning. The phone rang and on the other end it was a voice of excitement. The news had come. Your mother gave birth to you and your brothers and sisters. I dressed and quickly raced down the stairs to see the wonderful little miracles that had been bestowed. With each day I would come to visit the new arrivals and hope that just maybe one of you could and would be mine. I noticed you always hiding in the corner. You were the smallest. What we call the runt. I never imagined how much love,joy and happiness would come from such a small creature. The day came,I asked if I could have you for my Birthday and the answers was what I hoped for. Within just a few days I brought you home. You had captured my heart from the very second I saw you. All the while you gave us the incredible gift of unconditional love. I knew that you would stay with us and be our little Rocky for as long as you wanted to stay. The years came and passed,we watched you grow into the cutest rolly polly. There were times that I even tried to help you to lose a little weight. When I realized that this was just not going to happen I decided to let you be fat and happy. Happy you were. You never failed to great me in the mornings or to just give a suttle wag of your tail when walking by. My heart was filled with joy at watching you do all the little tricks we had taught you. You were a very good student and learned each task in the shortest time. The years had begun to pass and which each one passing we had sadly begun to see the signs of your aging. We tried to make you as happy and as comfortable as possible as time settled in and the days seemed to mesh together. My heart began to ache for you. I could longer stand to see my little baby in pain and cry out with the agony that you felt. I knew the day would be soon to come that I would have to let you go that God was calling you home. But you stayed enduring the pain and confusion. It was at this time that I knew it was time. Time for us to say our goodbyes and let you go to a place where you will feel young again,to a place where you could run in fields so beautiful that they could only be seen in a dream. A few long days drifted by,I knew my heart and my head were in one of the mightiest battles. A battle where in the end you would again know peace and I would forever long to touch,kiss and tell you just one more time how much I love you. It was time,I knew there was no other possible way for you to be well again. I called the vet and they told me to bring you when I was ready. There was no amount of time that I could have been given to prepare for your departure. We took you into the vets office. The assistant took us around to a little room where we could have our last few moments together. It all happened to fast. The doctor came in gave you the shot. Within an instant you slowly drifted off. My heart screamed with the pain of knowing you were not going to be making the ride home with us,with the fear and hopes that I was doing the right thing. My head was telling me it was but the pain I was feeling at that moment was to great. You layed there so peaceful,gently going home. Without a whimper,you passed and all that was left was the memories and the burning desire to have you with us just one more time. It has been just less than a month since you have been gone. There are days that cry and hopelessly long for your presence. In this longing I know that you aren't really gone. I know that you live in my heart and that one day when it is my time to recieve my calling you will be there waiting for me. That will be the day that we will run like children feverishly playing in the field so beautiful. Until then,my sweet soul I will think of you with the fondest of memories and with the flame in my heart bearing my love so bright that there is nu such thing as darkness. Eventually,my heart will rest and I can settle myself with knowing that you are there with loved ones passed and that they will care for you until it is our time to be rejoined. In the meantime,I'll see you in the sunset and in my dreams.
I love you Rocky