In Gratitude.

 Hello Friend's of Dharma.

How do you
  HONOR AND OLD DOG?

 ANYONE WHO HAS LOVED A DOG
 FEELS
 THIS WAY.

Time seems to move so slow,
when life is
AT THE EDGE.

Like when
a moment is precious
because you realize that it is the last
or one of the few last
that you will have.

We had thought that we would
honor Merlin by giving him the best until
it was time to MOVE ON.

I mean like
how long is it to the
LAST MOMENT?

We had not a clue.
And so as emergencies arose, we
problem solved solutions.

We talked with Dr. Jill,
ultra sounds, and medications and
food changes and massage and
well, you get the drill.

We were open to anything
AND
WE MEAN
ANYTHING
the universe could offer us.

We did not know that the offer would come on a
Thursday night.

We did not know the offer
was the
GIFT OF RELIEF.
THIS IS HOW
WE WERE GOING
TO HONOR HIM.

As if he himself were saying
HEY MAMA
AND
HEY PAPA
 IT IS TIME!

Over the previous four months
we camped at KOA in Philly with Merlin
walking their grounds by the pond every morning.
We camped at the Hancock site at the White Mountains
National Park in Lincoln New Hampshire listening
to the Swift River flow behind us watching the fire burn at night.
We camped at the Assateague National Park with the ponies
where Merlin and the painted pony met up an our camp site.
We met cousin Roy in Virginia who loved him, on sight.
AND ON 
AND ON
AND ON.
Each adventure carved into our hearts,
our memories of our
Merlie Boy.

Once we got into January,
I lay many times on the floor with Merlin.
Giving him every pat that he fully deserved.
I stood in the middle of the night
helping him get up off of the ground outside
because he had to go.
One more of a hundred times because his
old muscles had lost tone and he could not longer lift himself
once he tripped and fell down.
It was funny though because though he could not lift himself up,
once he was up he tottered along, like the old man that he was.

He loved walking up and down our dirt road till the very end.
His last walk with Bumble Bee
was about a week before
HIS TIME CAME.

We put a belt of Papa's around his waist,
secured with duct tape (ha, ha),
to give him a
quick lift whenever he needed.
IT WAS VERY HELPFUL.

He lay next to the couch on the wood floor,
which he could not get up from,
until the very end.

He did not like the rugs
put down just for him so that he could get up on his own.
It made him feel too hot.
He tolerated our keeping him on the rug so that he could have some
independent mobility.

He allowed us to keep him covered with our bear rug
giving us the eye like,
"Mama, is this really necessary?"
What a good sport.

But on that Thursday after
days and days
of just not feeling good,
not eating,
and all those things happening that we could not control
we moved toward an understanding,
and embracing of the gift offered us.

What can we do for him
to prevent misery?

We did not want "misery" for our "old Man"
after a lifetime of
love and joy that he brought into our lives.

And so, in gratitude we called our Dr. Jill,
and told her we thought it was time.
And so Friday night, at the end of the day,
we brought him to her.
Our trusted one.

In gratitude.
That we had the option to say,
"it is enough".

And so here is our goodby for our Merlie Boy.
1/26/2006 - 2/1/2019

WE LOVE YOU MERLIN!
Dharma Hugs
Dharma Dharma & Company