Our son is 12-years-old. He’s very tall, and extremely handsome with brown hair and soft, dark, expressive eyes. We’ve always said he’s an old soul- wise and mature beyond his years even at the age of two. Most people mistake his age for two or three years older than he is, and the girls go crazy over him, especially in his football uniform. They all love Ethan. Yes, he’s quite the catch, but they’re out of luck. He fell in love with the girl of his choice years ago. She has white-blonde hair, brown eyes, and has eyes for no one but him. Her name is Emmy.
When my husband and I were newly married, I found a tiny
little scruff of a dog wandering up my grandparent’s driveway. She was only six
weeks old, and had been abandoned on the country road. I suppose someone didn’t
want the hassle of a puppy and hoped she would find her way to a house where
someone would take her in. As it turned out, their plan came together when I
paid my grandparents a visit one afternoon. The tiny white puppy came bounding
up the driveway to me, and my grandmother explained that someone had tossed her
out on the road earlier. My husband and I had just bought our first house, and
a dog seemed just the thing to make it a home. So, I took her home.
She was a little white puffball, so we called her
Marshmallow. It didn’t take long for Marshmallow to shorten into Emmy, and that
it stayed. As it turned out, Emmy was a free spirit, and she drove me crazy!
She wouldn’t listen, got kicked out of obedience class, and didn’t care if I
liked her behavior or not. But on December 21, 2000, that all changed. Ethan
was two-days-old, and we brought him home that day. From the moment Emmy laid
eyes on him, she was in love. She stayed faithfully by his side and slept under
his crib at night. Over the years, they grew together, and her love was
returned equally by Ethan. When he was two-years-old, he called her his
dog-dog. It was one of his first words. Emmy forgot that I existed all
together, because her loyalty was to her boy.
Over the past 12 years, Emmy has slept in Ethan’s bed every
night. When she got too old to make the leap, he made her a bed on his bedroom
floor, and made sure she was tucked in every night before he went to sleep. It
has been a mutual, unconditional love.
…and
HeartacheI knew the day would come, and it was yesterday. Emmy had become ill just two days earlier. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and was obviously sick. Ethan sat on the floor with her and broke treats into tiny pieces, hand feeding her. Faithful to the end.
Often in life, a boy’s first real heartbreak is the loss of his dog. And it breaks his mother’s heart too. Emmy passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon. Breaking the news to her boy was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do. He took it with sadness, but understanding beyond his years. Typical for Ethan. He and my husband picked out a nice resting place for her, next to a little pine tree that Ethan planted on Arbor Day two years ago. They laid her to rest in her cozy little bed with a snack.
Today, the job search doesn’t seem as important. My goal this week is to piece back together some broken hearts. What a life experience to have loved so deeply at the age of 12. I’m not sure how any other girl will compare.
Kristina Marsh is an experienced and accomplished marketing, communications, and business process leader. Want to connect? You can reach me at klmarsh74@gmail.com
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