Remembrance

They say memories are golden,

Well maybe that is true.

I never wanted memories,

I only wanted you.

A million times I needed you,

A million times I cried.

If love alone could have saved you,

You never would have died.

In life I loved you dearly,

In death I love you still.

In my heart you hold a place

No one could ever fill.

If tears could build a stairway

And heartache make a lane,

I'd walk the path to Heaven,

And bring you back again.

~Author unknown

I remember Jenny,1967-1986, a loyal friend and loving companion. One who never fades from the memories of wonderful times we shared. May God bless and keep you, my constant friend.

THE POSTAL SERVICE NO ONE HEARS ABOUT

  Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter, Meredith, was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. She dictated and I wrote:

Dear God,

  Will you please take special care of our dog, Abbey? She died yesterday and is in heaven. We miss her very much. We are happy that you let us have her as our dog even though she got sick.

  I hope that you will play with her. She liked to play with balls and swim before she got sick.

I am sending some pictures of her so that when you see her in heaven you will know she is our special dog. But I really do miss her.

Love,

Meredith Claire

  We put that in an envelope with two pictures of Abbey, and addressed it to God in Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith stuck some stamps on the front (because, as she said, it may take lots of stamps to get a letter all the way to heaven), and that afternoon I let her drop it into the letter box at the post office.

  For a few days, she would ask if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch. Curious, I went to look at it. It had a gold star card on the front and said "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith took it in and opened it.

  Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, "When a Pet Dies". Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God, in its opened envelope. On the opposite page, one of the pictures of Abbey was taped under the words, "For Meredith". We turned to the back cover, and there was the other picture of Abbey, and this handwritten note on pink paper:

Dear Meredith,

I know that you will be happy to know that Abbey arrived safely and soundly in Heaven! Having the pictures you sent to me was such a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

You know, Meredith, she isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me - just like she stays in your heart - young and running and playing. Abbey loved being your dog, you know. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets, so I can't keep your beautiful letter. I am sending it to you with the pictures so that you will have this book to keep and remember Abbey.

One of my angels is taking care of this for me. I hope the little book helps. Thank you for the beautiful letter. Thank your mother for sending it. What a wonderful mother you have! I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. 

     By the way, I am in heaven, but wherever there is love I am there always.

Love,

God

MERTIE MAE MOORE

© 1998 by Phyllis Moore

(Set to the tune of Minnie O. Knickerbocker by Jenine Bacon. Used with permission.)

Beneath a small oak tree close to a hill

Lies a little doggie’s grave with a body so still

Mertie Mae Moore and a little white dove

They’ve witness to all that this puppy was loved.

In the month of April in 1998

Our little baby, Mert, was last seen alive by the gate

It was a little past two years that she lived on this earth

Her journey so short to the grave from her birth.

Chorus:

Poor little Mertie, asleep all alone

So friendly, but yet to so many unknown

We’ll always remember the grave on the hill

The one sacred spot Ray refuses to till.

Imagine the tears that her grandparents shed

When first they discovered their baby was dead

The little coffin Grandad made quickly was surely his best

Little Mertie was buried for eternal rest.

We visit her grave each evening by eight

We’ll ponder for years about Mertie’s fate

We’ll grieve as we wonder, oh why did she die?

And the rest of Roxie’s family, oh where will they lie?

Chorus:

Poor little Mertie, asleep all alone

So friendly, but yet to so many unknown

We’ll always remember the grave on the hill

The one sacred spot Ray refuses to till.

So many alive never saw her sweet face

And though we’ll grow older the years can’t erase

Our dreams that we’ll see her in heaven some day

On streets paved with gold where we’ll sing and play.

Chorus:

Poor little Mertie, asleep all alone

So friendly, but yet to so many unknown

We’ll always remember the grave on the hill

The one sacred spot Ray refuses to till.

Mertie Mae Moore asleep on the hill.

The True Story of Queenie

By David Hughes

  The early 1940’s were a lot different than things are today. Most families had at least one dog and some had several.

I lived in a small suburb of Fort Worth, Texas. Families and their dogs came and went when the rent came due. As hard as I try, I can only recall four families that stayed. My family the Hughes, the Letoes family and their dog Satan, who was ½ chow and ½ German Shepherd and weighed about 75lbs., the McPherson family, whose daughter Sandra had an English Shepherd named Queenie, and across the road was the Lambs family who had a full-blooded German Shepherd named Rex.

  My first memories of life on our road were of Sandra and Queenie, the English Shepherd. In the 40’s we didn’t have many toys, our dogs were our toys, our constant companions and friends, and our protectors.

  After a year or two of playing with Sandra and Queenie, my family got a Rat Terrier that we named Chips. He was our pride and joy. When Chips was full grown he weighed about 18 lbs. and he was solid muscle. Everywhere Sandra and I went, Queenie and Chips went with us. Queenie was literally the Queen of the road – everyone loved her. Chips, on the other hand, was the most hated dog on our road because every time another dog just looked at us he would whip’em big time.

  Life was nice with just Sandra, Queenie, Chips, my brother, and me. We had two or three wonderful summers of playing “kick the can”, baseball, and enjoying the pure pleasures of our dogs. Then the Letoes and Satan moved in and it was instant hate between Chips and Satan. There was a fight everyday between them and twice on Sundays. Chips got whipped everyday but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

  Then one summer day is when the Lambs got there German Shepherd pup, Rex. They chained him to the tree in their back yard. Besides his name, all Rex got was food and water and because of this Rex hated the world a little more everyday. One day as we were all out playing (Rex was about 6 months old at that time) Rex broke free of his chain. He came running at us with all of his bottled up anger wanting to unleash it on us. But, to his great surprise, Chips jumped him full speed just before he could let his fury out on us kids. Even with the difference in size, Chips sent him packing. This gave Rex two new things to hate, us kids and now Chips. As time went by Rex grew bigger and stronger, also his anger and hatred grew.

  By now Satan and Rex had decided to become good friends. They both hated Chips and us kids.

Then again Rex got loose and met up with Satan. They teamed up and came looking for us. Once again, Chips tried to head’em off. He hit Rex full speed, but Satan and Rex kept coming. Chips was hanging on to Rex and just before they could get to us kids, Queenie hit Satan so hard it flipped him and then Queenie went after Rex. Chips let go of Rex and jumped on Satan and the fight was on. It only lasted a few minutes but it seemed a lot longer. Queenie and Chips ran them off with their tails tucked between their legs. After that we knew we had the best dogs in the world! By the end of the day Rex was back on his chain and probably thinking of more ways to try and get us.

  As time went on, Rex seemed to find all kinds of ways to get loose. It was always the same, Rex would get loose and team up with Satan and come looking for us. Each time Chips would run about 50 feet out to try and head them off, but Queenie would always stay close to us kids and just before they could reach us, Queenie would attack them and send them running again. I know that if it hadn’t been for Queenie and Chips, Rex would have mauled us kids.

As kids, we strutted around with our two dogs and I will never forget how our dogs seemed to strut also. They had a look in their eyes that I will never forget and at the time didn’t fully understand.

  As months and then years went by, the fights continued, but the wounds seemed to get deeper and longer. As kids we just thought our dogs weren’t as tough as they had been, not realizing that they were just getting old.

One day as we were playing Rex escaped his chain and again here came he and Satan after us kids. Unfortunately, this battle took a bigger toll on our dogs. Rex broke thru our dogs and bit a friend of ours. When he screamed Queenie stopped fighting Satan and attacked Rex with all her might and managed to chase them away again. Because Queenie was so quick our friend only suffered a small gash.

  Early the next morning Sandra’s mother called to tell us that our beloved Queenie didn’t make it through the night. Unfortunately, her husband was out of town and they wanted my brother and me to lay her to rest. We didn’t realize what an honor this was to lay such a hero to rest. There is no way of knowing how many kids Queenie saved from being mauled. This was such a sad day for everyone on our road. The day after Queenie died Rex was gone. We never found out what happened to him but we really didn’t care either. Just a few months later Chips was run over by a truck- another protector of the kids had passed away. As for Satan, he eventually died of old age.

  As time went on I never forgot the look in Queenie’s and Chips’ eyes and the walk I didn’t understand.

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Remembrances

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old).

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker.The  dog's owners,

Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for 

Belker, andoffered to pe! rform t he euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane 

to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed 

so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he 

understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat  together for a

while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal livesare shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him.What came ! out of h is mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting     explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and

being nice, right?" The Six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run , romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.