50 Shades of Blue

In celebration of a life well lived, I paws to recognize one the greatest influences in my life, Mr. Blue. Mr. Blue is my soul dog, my once-in-a-lifetime dog, the companion who has stayed faithfully by my side through the tumulus last thirteen years. People often mourn the death of a pet with great intensity, and they feel a bit strange about it, as if an animal is unworthy of such emotion.  I only saw my father cry twice in his life and one of those times was when he had to put his German Shepherd, Jessie, to sleep. The reason we mourn the deaths of our pets so deeply is real, and is not to be discarded lightly. The love of an animal is unconditional. There are no bad times. When we lose humans, it is a mixture of sadness and, let’s be real, relief. That’s because there are good times and there are bad times. Not so with a soul dog. There are only good times which make it infinitely harder to let go. The love of a dog is so rich, so real, so all-encompassing that it takes us to a divine level. Now I do not mean to deify or suggest that a dog is a substitute for a human or for faith, but I have come across countless humans who have told me stories of how their dog got them through the death of spouse, a divorce, or some other tragic circumstance. Mr. Blue is one of those furever companions. He has brought such richness to my life that it is hard to even formulate the words to describe it. Those of you who have met him know what I’m talking about. In August of last year, when Mr. Blue was twelve years old, he was diagnosed with lymphoma.  I was absolutely devastated.  We immediately embarked upon a sixteen-treatment chemotherapy plan. Mr. Blue went into remission immediately and things looked bright until his sixteenth treatment when he relapsed. I’ve been through divorce, the death of a parent, and war (twice), and I can say this is the most devastated I’ve been. The oncologist moved him onto his second regimen of drug protocols and within a week Mr. Blue was back in remission. He is doing remarkably well. He knows what I am doing for him. He has regained weight and is spunky and snarky, almost puppy-like. And as long as he has this quality of life we will continue on this journey. Every night I thank God for another day with Mr. Blue. This experience has placed me in a state of thankfulness for the here-and-now, something I was sorely lacking in my life. In celebration of a life well lived and in the transformative power of a dog’s love, I invite you to join us in a special time of sharing on April 7^th in the Charlie “T” Jones Conference Center where we’ll celebrate Mr. Blue’s life and continuing legacy!