Since I had been gone all week I suddenly realized it was the longest time away from my dog I had ever been. I ran so quickly and happily into her big beautiful golden fur, "Savannah!" My first love. I was 10 years old and in love completely with my dog. She would be with me another 8 more years and I wouldn't ever stop to think that she might not live forever. I just assumed since she was my very best friend in the whole world she would live right along with me! When I was 10 years old I didn't have very many friends and the longing for a life long companion was very deep inside my soul. I would sit and chat with Savannah as if she could talk back or at least like she understood everything I was saying. Her big brown eyes and long wet nose were apart of my own face often I melted myself into her side as she laid or sat next to me watching the sunset over the farm on a patch of grass or soft cold dirt. My own long stringy golden hair would blend in her as I cried or as I rest in her. She knew that her job was to watch over me and I think she never got tired of listening to me jabber on I as grew up. Even after she was laid to rest under the big tree on the wild country side, for I took flowers to her grave and chatted away like she was still listening for the years to follow.....she was my very first love story in my life. Without her I didn't have anything to look forward to in coming home.
"Don't you miss your parents?" I was asked so often in my childhood and teen aged years that I grew annoyed by such a common question. Be it at a slumber party or church camp, everyone would act like I was a strange person as I shared the magical wonders of my dog Savannah. I would always say wishfully "I miss my dog so very very much." while trying to figure out this dreaded feeling that I had in returning home. "Don't you miss your family?" I would be asked this from the lines at Disneyland to the cafe in Salem. Moments like that when my friends asked me with that odd look as I would honestly reply "NO." then suddenly adding to reassure them I am not all heartless or selfish, "I DO miss my Dog." then I would smile again. Growing up in the kind of home I did, we didn't trust each other but we did have this wonderful unconditional love from our sweet dog Savannah and I still miss her everyday of my life....
When Savannah jumped up on my little twin size bed the whole thing flip up in the air and came back down as I laughed so hard for so long with my arms wrapped around my old girl, my best friend and most importantly my very first love.......
No comments:
Post a Comment