lucy lou

The happy:

As we get back to our daily routine without Lucy in our lives, we realize how much she was part of our family. Whether it's waiting to hear her come around the corner after we dropped some food or finding one of her balls under the bed, our hearts ache for her to be back with us. I've been organizing videos and have found so many with her in them. I realize that Lucy KNEW how to live life and live it abundantly. I thought I'd record some life lessons from our sweet Lucy Lou.

1. Love everybody. She adored people (almost to a fault.) She drove Jason crazy because whenever someone would come over, she would practically assault them with love.

2. Jump in the puddles. Lucy would never miss a chance to go jump in the water. She knew what it was to be refreshed, albeit sometimes a little stinky though.

3. Never miss a chance to play. Lucy could play with bubbles until she was literally falling over from exhaustion. Even that didn't keep her from trying to jump for more.

4. Take every opportunity to snuggle. This is probably one of the things I miss the most. She would jump in bed and curl up right next to you.

The sad:

On Friday, we put our sweet Lucy Lou to sleep. It was the most beautiful and most difficult day. I had prayed that the Lord either heal her or allow her to die easily. And I feel He chose the latter. We had noticed on Wednesday that she was really slowing down. We took her on as many walks as we could, though she hadn't run with us since before we found out she had lymphoma. But she loved her walks. On Wednesday, we actually discussed Lucy's future. On Thursday, when she was not excited to eat, Jason called the vet. On Friday, it was apparent it was the perfect day, if you can call it that. My heart broke that day and previous night because we had actually scheduled an appointment. It felt like the death penalty was coming to fruition. I knew this was the best, but it feels strange to decide one's death. Probably the reason I'm not big on the death penalty.

Anyways, that Friday, I tried to spoil her as much as I could. We went for one last walk, albeit a slow one. I gave her every yummy kind of food I could find. I was an emotional wreck. It feels silly to have so much love for an animal. But we all did. We loaded up and made our way to Jason's parents' house. We were blessed to have a vet agree to come to their lake to send her to heaven. Lucy hates going to the vet, so I did not want her last memories of life to be bad ones. We arrived to their house, and were in a rush to let her play at the lake one more time before the vet arrived. Jason's mom had made Lucy some yummy treats...steak, chicken, and bologna. Lucy was thrilled. Then we headed to the lake. We decided to have Bella there so she went with me. Lucy was so ready to get to the lake. It made my heart happy. She had the energy to walk all the way. She jumped in the lake and just enjoyed it. I fed her yummy food and it all felt perfect. Until we turned around and saw Jason walking down to the lake with the vet. I finished feeding her and the vet asked if we were ready. Of course, we weren't.

I held Lucy while the vet gave her the first (of 3) shot. It completely relaxed her and it felt like she was getting the best sleep she's had in months. She had a 2nd shot...and then the third one was the one that would stop her heart. Again, the vet asked if I was ready. How do you answer that? Really? I answered out of duty. And I put my hand on her beating heart and felt it slow down and just stop. It was heart wrenching to know our Lucy was gone and also comforting to know she would suffer no more. Selfishly, I wanted her back. But I knew she would never be the same Lucy Lou we knew. I pet her for a little longer then made the walk back to Jason's car. I looked over my shoulder and saw her laying there by the lake resting. I'm so grateful she got to enjoy a wonderful dog's life. I hope she knew how much we loved her. I look forward to seeing her again someday.

Jason's dad bought a tree to plant over her by the lake. It's a nice memory of her. I also love that the tree he picked is the same kind we have next to our back deck. The Lord comforts in so many ways, and I just dig that about God. I truly believe animals go to heaven. The love that is in our hearts for them, I believe comes from the Lord. We are created in His image and we love His creation. Until then, I'll look to the sky and know that Lucy is taking the best walks of her life, jumping in crystal lakes, chasing squirrels, and playing bubbles....without any pain of a crippling disease.

Lucy, you are the best dog ever. Thanks for loving us the way you did.