Highly Recommended . . . Really!

My heart dropped - really dropped!

This week my dear friends Alicann and Russell gave me this book "In honor of Kirby".

I was immediately touched by their love and thoughtfulness but after Russell was gone and I unwrapped the book and saw it I was sorrowful and couldn't bring myself to consider reading this book. I just knew the book would be about a great dog and end with it dying.

That's my story and I'm still crying over it.

How quickly my heart changed; I've finished the book. I loved it. I cried hard. I came to realize my grief at this time is still so very normal and that I'm part of a large group that shares my feelings. I don't have to be ashamed for not "getting over it" sooner. I will never get over Kirby's passing. I will just be able to better cope. I look upon my life with him with gratitude. I says prayers of thanks.

I told myself I wouldn't blog about Kirby's passing anymore than I did at the time but well, as Trevlyn told me as she set up this blog for me 4 years ago "It's your blog Mom, you can say whatever you want".

I'm so thankful for my kind friends and their sharing this with me. Thank you!

You will love this book. It's a great read and so, so much more than a book of dog stories. The author, Dean Koontz is internationally famous though I've only read this one book and it is not his usual style of "dark thriller".

Here is just one quote from his book...which is actually a quote from one of his other books -

"On the importance of the human-dog bond and on the reason why we give our hearts to them knowing what is to come, a character in my novel The Darkest Evening of the Year says this:

"Dogs' lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and there's going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware it comes with an unbearable price."

Happy day, msk