Last night while sitting in my recliner, I looked at one of the dog beds in front of me and remembered that it was Dutchess's bed, and just a week or so ago, she was in it. I then floated back several years ago, and that same bed was Mollie's bed. It struck me pretty hard that they are gone because I could see them still there. In my mind's eye, I looked around the room and saw all of our dogs that had passed in their favorite spot while we were relaxing and sitting at the end of the day. I could see them so clearly; it was bittersweet because I missed them so much and still do.
All of us will "go home" at some time; it's inevitable. When I was a kid, my parents drove for what seemed like days to visit my Mom's family in the country for "Decoration Day," which is also called Memorial Day. It was an annual trip that we took to decorate the graves of family members that had passed before us. As kids, we had such a good time, and it was a whole weekend of fun, excitement, and things I had never seen before. There were 13 children in my Mom's family, of which my mother was the youngest. We were the city folk side of the family; everyone else lived near that homestead.
When we would visit, we would stay at Aunt Maggie's house because it was the only home with indoor plumbing, something that I took for granted at our own home. On Sunday, after decorating the graves, we would gather at the homestead for the big potluck/pitch-in dinner. I remember that if we needed to "go," we had to go to the "barn" to do our business, which as a kid, I thought
was pretty cool. All in all, it was a great weekend, and I got to see my many cousins and play in the fields and get dirty. We always brought home fresh eggs and homemade butter, something my Dad always said reminded him of his youth when he was a boy.
Several weeks ago, and with the help of Google Earth, I went back home to the farm my mother grew up on, and sadly, everyone had passed on some time ago. Not knowing the address except for RR2, I scowled the location from a satellite. Low and behold, I found it, I saw the farm, and I was thrilled. Things had changed, and my mind flashed back to when I was 12 years old. I will always remember the well that we got the water from by dropping a rusty galvanized bucket down into the well and cranking it up for some cold, clean water and going to the bathroom in the barn. When
I expanded my Google Earth search; I also visited the graveyard where we always went to decorate our family graves. With the technology today, I was at the very spot I was at for many years in my childhood. I could even rotate my view to see the graves of my family. There is no one left to have a reunion, and it's sad, and my visit was bittersweet, but I did enjoy it and the trip down memory lane.
As I walked that long road down the driveway at home last night, I stopped and sat at the grave of my dogs; I remembered the moments in my life when they were here, hovering for attention. Abbie with a ball in her mouth, Clancy watching from a distance, and Molly laying at my feet. Dutchess getting into some mischief with Meggie running as fast as she can, life was good. Life can be harsh at times, but when I remember them, I try to visualize them running and playing and the love we shared together.
