Goodbye my dear friend...

Today is a very sad day for me. My best four legged friend, Lennon, has passed away this morning.

My eyes fill with tears as I type this, but I owe him so much.

I used to be terrified of dogs since I was a kid and a huge dog chased me down the street and bit my leg. It was so bad that I could not even go to a park because if I heard a dog walking 50 feet away from me, I would immediately get back into the car. One day me and my them boyfriend Mr. Danita saw a huge old english sheepdog walk behind us and he was very friendly, and I thought it would be nice to have one like that... If I ever was brave enough to have a dog.

Time went by and we got married and I decided it was time to overcome my fear of dogs. So we got a puppy... It wasn't easy. The first days I tought he could get out of his tiny cage, climb up to my bed and do me in my sleep, but eventually I realized he was not going to kill me and I fell head over heels with his sweetness. He always greeted me when I got home, looked for me for snuggling when I was watching TV and eventually grew to be an 80 pound lapdog. I could not sit to watch TV without him jumping on my lap. So, that's the first thing I owe you Lennon, getting rid of my fear of dogs.

One of our best memories is when I took him to the mountains to jump around in the snow. That day it was full of knee deep powdery snow and he jumped around like a black and white bunny all afternoon. He was enjoying the moment so much, not a care in the world except enjoying going up and down the mountain until he was so exhausted from all the activity he fell asleep all the way back home. The next morning he woke up at 6:00 AM and barked excitedly, jumped in our bed and requested to be taken to the mountains again, it was so sweet. I owe you teaching me to live the moment, and enjoy it to the max. You taught me to enjoy the present and nothing more.

Then in time I took a watercolor class and I fell in love with painting, and for my first real assignment I painted Lennon. It was incredible to see that with a bunch of pigments, a brush and water I could create something with meaning. I showed it to my friends and everyone loved it, they liked it so much that they ordered prints and that's when I knew I had found my artist's call. Thank you for that Lennon, because you gave me a new career and taught me that I must follow my heart and do what I love.

And today, you taught me the toughest lessons of everything you taught me. As you were fading away, you taught me about letting go. I saw your big eyes as the first time we met, and you told me it was OK, that it was time to go and that everything was going to be all right. Everything that has a beginning has an end, and we must accept it with love, remember the good times we had and finally say good bye when the time comes.

I feel a big hole in my heart, but it's OK. You are now in a happy place. Thank you for all you taught me, thank you for all your love. You will always live on.