He wasn't just a dog....He was FAMILY. Thank you for the gift....

Some of you will 'get' this post, others may not. That's okay. I understand that some people aren't 'dog people' or maybe some of you haven't had a deep connection with an animal. My hope is that those of you who 'get it' send out good thoughts for my family and those of you who don't really understand the deep connection between a dog and his family....I hope one day you do.

Mom and Dad (and the rest of us) are completely devastated, Tucker died on Friday, June 19th. Dad let him out and typically when it is dark, Tucker goes to the bathroom and immediately returns. He didn’t come right back. Dad started looking for him and then the phone rang. The man told Dad that Tucker has been hit by a car just north of their house. Dad walked up to get him. His collar had broken off but Tucker didn’t have a scratch on him, but he was gone. Mom and Dad were up all night Friday night saying goodbye, then early on Saturday morning they buried him in the backyard. Dad made him a cross and burned his name into it.

Tucker was dad’s buddy and mom's cuddle bug. He went everywhere with them. He was the greatest companion, I can’t say dog because Tucker didn’t know he was a dog. He was just another member of the family! Tucker belonged to Mom and Dad, but I felt as if he was mine too.

Many things made Tucker special, one reason he was so special is because he came from friends…thank you Curtis and Shauna, for giving us such an amazing gift! Tucker was also special because everyone in the neighborhood knew him and loved him. The kids in the neighborhood referred to my folks yard as ‘Tucker’s Forest’. My parent would go to BBQ’s and people they didn’t even know, would say, “Do you know Tucker?” He touch many, many hearts in his short time with us and for that we are truly grateful. The sound of the tags on his collar, the ‘nuzzle’, ‘nuzzle’ “pet me”, and his sweet, sweet face will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

As you can imagine, my Dad isn’t doing very well. His heart is heavy with sadness, but he is a man, so he doesn’t want anyone to know how he is hurting. He feels totally responsible for what happened to Tucker and is assuming all of the blame.

We will never be able replace Tucker or his love of his family. My sister, Trev and I have been talking and would like to get our parents another puppy. Mom and Dad got Tucker a month after our first schnauzer, Allie passed away. Tucker helped them heal.

He was an amazing gift and we are very thankful that God gave us 9 years with such a magical little spirit. We love you Tucker.

We will see what happens...we may find a new little puppy to expand our family. I will keep you posted.

Holly

The road is rocky but the sunset beautiful....

Oh how I have missed this....

I haven't blogged for a long time. Not really because I didn't have anything to say...it was more because, I wasn't sure how to say it.

I had a miscarriage in April.
We found at we were expecting and were very excited. We started planning how our life and family would be changing. We were getting very excited about our Thanksgiving baby. Then things went wrong....
It was devastating news, but we came thru the sadness, pain, and frustration stronger than we went in. That's what really matters...right?

I decided to share my experience, not for sympathy because we are doing great, only so that I could share the personal growth that has taken place because of this event.

Maybe this is God's way of reminding us of all of the amazing blessings in our life. I believe that every difficult moment or event that we are faced with is a test of our character. How we cope with our sadness, how well we manage our frustration, and how we cherish our family all helps us build a better 'me'.

I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to go thru this event in my life.
It has proven to me that I am a strong person, both emotionally and physically.
It has also shown me that no matter how strong I can be...I need people. I don't ALWAYS have to be strong.
I feel a stronger bond with my husband, we cherish our relationship and know we can endure sadness and pain together and our bond becomes even stronger.
It has made me more aware of the miracle, children really are.
It has made me love, even more, every silly song, quirky smile, and sweet giggle from my little ladies.
Lastly,
It has made me aware and appreciate more deeply everything and everyone in my life that I love and for that I am deeply greatly for this experience.

God Bless,
Holly