A letter to my dear sweet Ivy.
You didn't know what was coming for you when I carried you through the threshold of the Spector house. I was only 16 and probably didn't know what I was getting in to either.
You became my constant companion and we have ventured far and wide together.
I wonder what dogs might think as they are whisked away to grow up and live with a human "pack". It is how dogs think, you know. I am Ivy's pack and she is mine. I hope I made a good first impression on you and hopefully you thought, "Oh thank goodness, this little girl will grow as I grow and we will figure out the world together!" It is certainly what I was thinking.
What I remember so clearly of you as a pup is how much skin you had. Wrinkles on wrinkles. You stumbled over your flimsy legs and floppy ears. You listened so intently to my voice and followed my command. I led you with a gentle hand and you agreed with ease.
It is baffling how dogs never hold a grudge. It is a mystery that is so pure and puzzling. All we know of humans is the unpredictability of emotions that could arise from any scenario. But dogs....their emotion is pretty much predictable. They are, therefore, a constant. An unwaveringly happy result.
I am so grateful, and at the same time, take great pride in our "pack". However, it is not perfect. Your legs have started to fail you and age is continuously upon both of us.
This is what is beautiful about this union we have and about any other relationship out there. It is the loving that happens through the speed bumps and the unexpected obstacles, the perseverance through the storms and the hand that never lets go.
We all want a hand that will never let go.
That is, however, an impossible request, because we are all perishable. People and animals and plants and even stars will die. We are placed perfectly in the continuum of time...right where we are supposed to be. The Lord makes no mistakes. And so, again, here lies the beauty. We must acknowledge and cherish the relationships, unions, and companionships we have and just as they are. All good things will come to an end, and although that may seem depressing, it emphasizes the importance to not take them for granted.
No one can definitively know the future. What I do know is that one day my feet will remain on this earth and you will be laid to rest. It will be a very sorrowful day, needless to say, but I will be so intensely grateful for all of the doors we have walked through together, the mountains we have climbed and the rivers we have crossed. Nothing will ever be able to replace it and I will hold those memories so close to my heart forever.
I want you to know that now, in case I forget to say it later.
But before that day arrives, lets keep traveling all of God's beautiful creation, make splashes in the oceans, sink our feet in the sand, lay by the fire and eat really damn good food.
Life is beautiful. Life is a gift.
I love you, Ivy girl, you have been my greatest joy.