Stumble It!tomorrow morning we are on our way to meet and bring home our new furry heartbeat. ernie, just transitioning from puppyhood to adolescence, is a sharpei-lab mix who popped into my inbox a couple weeks back, needing to be rescued. from his photos, his eyes clearly said he was looking for a home and a family to love. so, even though i wasn't looking for another dog yet, and wasn't sure i was ready, i also felt zoe had her paw in connecting us. so a new chapter begins.
just 3 months after zoe's death, i still wish my girl was back with us. i have learned much about our hearts in this summer of loss. but it has also been a summer rich in love. i know the chapter on zoe will never close. i know zoe will be a part of ernie's life... she's probably whispering in his ear that it's particularly great to roll down the hill at the park...and a part of every other furry love bundle we adopt throughout our lives.
welcoming ernie brings up all kinds of feelings about zoe--sad and happy--and awakens a little angst about the unknowns with him. but ernie will be ernie. and this chapter will be uniquely his and ours. i keep remembering what dog whisperer cesar millan echoes--that we don't necessarily get the dog we want, but we get the dog we need. among countless other growth areas, zoe stretched me into embracing selflessness.
my life with zoe, particularly in recent months as she required much more patience and compassion and love and gentleness, has given me an unflinching look at the value of love. it's not all flowers and candy. nothing close to that. it's messy and it takes work and it can be a struggle to be how we know we want to be. and we can be totally off base even when coming from the best of intentions.
i think the most transforming lesson i took to heart in this ongoing journey is that love is infinite. as my sister-in-law says, every pup has a special room in our heart, reserved just for them. and each new pup opens a new room we didn't know we had. it's not just pups, of course, who open new rooms in our hearts. but love is infinite. just knowing that brings me peace.
so we welcome ernie. and here's to the next chapter of love.
liz
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