Time Lines and the Magic of Friendship

Penny Anne Twister  January 2006

It's a new year and that would make most of us giddy with anticipation for new experiences and new friends and a new way of life.  With the new year comes a determination to overcome. But I am not giddy. I am in a holding pattern. Still,  I love this time of year because of the calmness it brings - thoughtful repose,  a sort of hopeful wisdom that promises to get me through the inevitable loss of my Penny's time with me.  Timelines...You know they all have a beginning and an end.

Today I walked Penny 2 miles in hopes that she would eat. I watched her tremble when she paced the kitchen and felt her coo at my hand across her soft coat. But she would not eat the fresh chicken I cooked her, or the rice, or the cheese. She did eat a slice of bread.

This is the time of year when we begin to think of time and the lines it draws on our lives.   I remember on New Year's past how I vowed to run with her more. Her sleek trim body was made to run.  My Cross country daughter used to take her on six mile runs and when home, the dog would beg for more. That was before I hurt my hip and running was no longer an option for me. That was before she turned 85 in dog years. Now she is happy for the walks where she can use her sense of smell. The days we miss walking arthritis seeps into her bones and brings a stiffness to her walk, a pain to her vacant stare that haunts me to no end.

I meant for this to be about the magic of life, not the death of a friend but I suppose death holds its own magic. Death reminds us of our own time lines on this earth. It reminds us to remember the good and hold onto it like a life line.

Penny came to us in 2002. Summer had gone away almost 2 years before and it took us time to open our hearts again. Summer was a Vizsla and Golden Retriever mix that someone had abandoned on the back roads of Mobile, Alabama. We loved her disposition and her friendship. She became a part of my children's childhood. She became part of us.

After her passing, we decided on a pure bread Vizsla because of the need for my Cross Country daughter to have a running companion and because of the short haired coat. I so love her color and her energy level has kept our home lively. Her friendship has kept me sane. Vizsla's are known for their intelligence but it her ability to emotional bond with us that makes her so extraordinary. At nine p.m., while we watched our television show, Penny will set herself down in front of our chair and "arr wah woo.. whine", speak, whatever you want to call it until we carry her bed to her room and tuck her in.

Like most memories the magic will come to me as I pull the past 15 years of her life together. It will come to me as I reflect on the many different adventures we have had and how having her in our home has given us all a glimpse of loyalty, dignity, and expectations of love. And hopefully while I write this tribute to my dear friend, I will discover that extraordinary magic that comes when we explore the life we live, the love we share and how it has changed us all.