fare thee well

On September 12th 2001, i stood on my back deck...nervous, anxious, afraid, still in shock...i wasn't sure if i could go on, i didn't think there would ever be reason again to smile, let alone laugh.......i drank my beer in silence, hung my head....my dog Gravey had only been with us 6 months, but she stayed glued to my side and whenever i wanted to cry she licked my face.....i took a lot of days off in the 6 months that followed and we spent a lot of time sitting in the silence of the yard...she mirrored my every move, laid at my feet and listened to me as i talked to myself....she got me through the toughest stretch of my life.and through her silliness helped me to smile, and laugh and have great, Great times again......my wife Valerie  rescued Gravey from a life on the streets, she had cigar burns on her body , had kennel cough and was eating out of a dumpster, Valerie called me from the Pet adoption center at Petsmart and said "she Has great big brown eyes, and she Loves me"...thats all i needed to know......we took her in, she slept in a King sized bed, ate like a Queen and ruled her Yard like a land Barron.....and it breaks, breaks, BREAKS  my heart to say Goodbye to her today! .......like all dogs she provided unconditional love...she was delighted to see me every night i came home...she.never got mad about a text or held a grudge...her biggest crime was stealing the covers on cold nights or hogging the best seat on the couch at Movie time...(occasionally she got aggressive with Messier if mess got to close to one of her 475 rawhide bones scattered around the house) .I spent the day with her yesterday and although she was failing terribly, we managed a walk by the river and i  followed her around the yard and tried to repay the favor from so many years ago...you wont read her obituary in the Times, but she will be missed by her Cat Sister Messier, (predeceased by Fuzzy Cat & Jedmo) Valerie and I and countless family and friends...she had some real special dog sitters over the years..Nanny, Aunt Mary, Uncle Steve O'Dowd, Katie, Breanne, Aunt Carlene Sanchez and cousin Pat Molloy.......she was so very proud of her Dancing Bears leash, her Steal Your Face Collar and all her licenses and rabies shot medals on her collar ...her familiar jingle jangle will be missed in that yard ( i dont think she ever realized that Valerie loaded her down with medallions so she COULDN'T sneak up on Birdies at the bird feeder)..she was a well liked Pooch and she was chock full of personality.....did i say we rescued her ?  yes, well its obvious she rescued US more......Rest In Peace Gravey...we love and miss you and will never forget you...say hi to snoopy for me pal.