‘Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.’ ♥️ #india #bealpha
“Love is so short. Forgetting is so long.”•Pablo Neruda
For days, I’ve tried to compose the proper words. But, I don’t know how to string together words fitting enough for what was really, my heart and soul, Noah. Much like his presence, even his absence has consumed all of my attention. The empty space, palpable void, & soul crushing sadness is the price you pay for loving a dog. You go into it knowing that eventually, you’ll have to let go.
Noah was the love of my life for almost 12 years. His beauty and size stopped people dead in their tracks, he was a showstopper. People often stopped to take his picture.
I don’t know who needed who more and really, I didn’t know I needed any kind of saving. But, it was Noah who awakened me every day @ 5:30 AM, asking for a walk, after I had major surgery w/ complications that rendered me in/out of the hospital. At the time, his barks and prods to get me out of bed couldn’t have felt more laborious. Every step hurt. But, I was powerless to his big black eyes and gentle nudges. I realize now, it was Noah who did me the biggest favor of all, in giving me purpose to get out of bed. It was Noah who forced me to walk and in doing so, provided me with the rehab my body needed.
I knew we were on borrowed time, as my old man slowed down. He was my heart dog, the best thing that ever happened to me. He never met a person he didn’t like. He was patient and kind, attributes I certainly can’t live up to. He brought a smile to everyone that he met.
It was my deepest honor, joy, and privilege to be his person. My friends have reassured me of “all I did” to give Noah the best life possible, to extend his life with surgery 2 1/2 years ago, to hand feed him his special food, administer his medication, walk him at 3 in the morning if he needed to shake his nightly cough, because I was his 24/7 caretaker. But, it worked both ways - Noah was also *my* anchor. He was everything good and sweet and loyal, a best friend, and a faithful, loving companion. He was sewn into every fabric and fiber of my life and core. How lucky I am to have loved him and been loved by him. Run free, little boy: you have been my world.♥️🫶🏻
