It's been a funny old year. The highs have been high and the lows have been very low. One sad day in late June I lost one of my very best friends. He was the kind of friend you dreamed of; loyal, faithful, always cheery, always there for you. He knew when you were happy and when you were sad. He even knew what to do in either of those situations, and he always made me smile. One day he was there and the next he was gone, and his leaving left me utterly bereft.
The depth of feeling for my loss of my friend took me by surprise. I always knew that one day he would go from me, but I had know idea his leaving would affect me in quite the way that it did. For days I was in disbelief, and then such deep sadness filled my heart. Ultimately I had to accept that our time together was over and he was never coming home.
It's been two months now, and the gap he has made in my life is taking some getting used to. I can still hear him, and still anticipate him being there for me at odd moments in my day. The reality is that my dear old friend Jervis the dog is now but a treasured memory, but the good thing is memories stay with you forever!
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| celebrating Claire's 18th birthday |
One of his special places was Portsdown Hill. He loved it up there. We used to take him every Saturday morning. He would bound across the hill at the speed of lightening, to and fro without a single care in his world. It was always a tonic to see him loving the outdoors. We would finish our visit off with a cup of tea and a bacon butty, and he would sit perfectly still hoping for a tit bit before we headed off home. Portsdown Hill was one of his favourite places, and a fitting place to say our final goodbyes.
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| So long old fella! |
I am blessed to have friends who have experienced the same loss, and they have been such a comfort. Alfie tragically died some 4 years ago. He is still sorely missed. Sadly Sid, Boston and Sassy left us this summer, and like Jervis the parting was sudden and unexpected. It has been good to have a mutual empathy for the loss of a dear pet.
"Not the least hard thing to bear when they go from us, these quiet friends, is that they carry away with them so many years of our lives. Yet, if they find warmth therein, who would begrudge them those years that they have so guarded? And whatever they take, be sure they have deserved" John Galworthy
Hi Jane. I've often thought you would make an excellent blogger, so its lovely to see you have finally taken the plunge. Long overdue.
ReplyDeleteYou always impress me with your wisdom and you have a way of putting things that just seem to get to make sense. These pearls of wisdom have helped me a lot in recent years and something I will always be grateful for.
He was a dog with a big personality, not dissimilar to the man H himself. Both have the ability to light up a room when they walk in and both very difficult to ignore..... especially when lying on the sofa .. at least H had permission. Although I think H has the edge on the 'death by a thousand anecdote' stakes! However if Jervis could have talked I am sure he would have given H a run for his money!
I look forward to your continued writings.
A.x