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| It's your birthday my beautiful, wonderful, loyal, intelligent, courageous, kind, loving, quirky dog, Cocoa! You are more than a very sweet chocolate lab to me. You are my forever muse, my blessing from God. I hope that in your "doggie" mind & heart that you understand how very grateful I am to be your mom. You are an inspiration to me. My heart is in a better place because of you. You are the reason why I'm not obese. You always encourage me to go walk with you in recreation parks, by the pond, creek and even in the meadows which we love the most. I see the trees and flowers more robust & the grass greener because of your perception of them. Everything that is close to my heart you seem to recognize it. One afternoon, I was playing guitar and singing "At your Feet" by Melissa Greene version and you were asleep where I could see you so content sleeping, so I thought. But when I hit the chorus of the song, you were barking to match the melody. That moment, I knew that I will love you forever. You were about seven or eight years old at that time. Together we've accumulated hundreds of miles walking/ jogging together for 14 years. Now you look old, frail & very sensitive. All of your faculties and so do I have been minimized to a point where we both need help. Arthritis & renal failure have savaged your health but not your mind. You still can remember your routine. You are always on time for your meals. You let me know how it's done. I remember when I forgot to shut the backyard fence gate, you let me know by running to the front door and you started barking. You know my fears. When I didn't let you play with the other dogs because some dogs are just ferocious and I needed to be right there with you, you understood. You didn't whine. You're a good dog. An extraordinary dog for all I know. I'm getting senile too in a way but when I see your eyes full of love for me, every moment with you is the pinnacle of our unbreakable bond. They might say she's just a dog but to me, Cocoa is better than some human beings. Some people commit the most heinous acts and have filthy mouths. Dogs, however, just want to serve you in any capacity, love you in the most meaningful way. I love you so much Cocoa & Happy Happy 14th Birthday in Human years. Thank you to my sisters Lyn & Midred who came to celebrate Cocoa's birthday. Blessing & Tootsie, too. You guys are my biological sisters & sisters in Christ who have the most thoughtful & loving hearts for animals especially dogs and that shows. I'm forever grateful for what you've shown Cocoa, my beloved dog...Most of all I thank You Lord for blessing me Cocoa. My life has been transformed into quiet, reserved, joyous adventures in every walk I & Cocoa traversed... |
