This morning I made a choice
to simply be with you on our walk
together through the neighborhood
watching your shadow
trot alongside you in the greening grass
while I wonder what you see
and hear and taste and feel and sense
that I cannot
as you stop to look around or lick the grass
or gently explore a tree trunk with your nose
still lifting your leg to leave a trace of your passing
long after your bladder is empty
Being fully present here with you
helps ease the soul-deep sorrow
I feel because of things I cannot change
I am truly grateful
for your presence in my life
Voices from the Margins 
Blessings, Carol ❤
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Thank you, dear friend. Sending blessings to you, too. 💜
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Hugs and prayers… ❤
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💜
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A dog is Woman’s best friend, too! Wishing you May’s peace.
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Thank you for your wise and kind words. UTM. Wishing you peace as well. 💜
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Thank you! ♥️
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💜
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Thank you, dear friend. 💜
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Hello, Carol; seeing little Tinto looking so loved as put a smile a mile wide on my face. The red carpet of Summer is rolled out, enjoy your walks on it.
My sister-in-law, Mandy, who keeps and trains Border Collies, refers to their sniffing as reading the papers. “C’mon you lot, time to catch up on the news, find out who or what’s been around.” She’ll say as she loses them out from their pens. The Dogs race around her in a frenzy, yapping and wagging their tails, torn between the joy of greeting her and the desire to read the paper. The commotion always makes me chuckle.
Keep safe and well, Carol. Speak soon.
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Ah, Mick. It is always lovely to hear from you. Yes, summer was here for a brief visit today – it was in the mid 80s (30 C), but we’ll be back to cooler weather for the next week (in the 50s F, 10-13 C).
I like Mandy’s way of describing sniffing. It seems she knows dogs well and they sense that. Thank you for sharing that.
Sending my best wishes to you and Jack, Mick. 💜
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Thank you for sharing!!… “Life gives us brief moments with another, but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a lifetime, So live that your memories will be part of your happiness.” (Author Unknown)…. 🙂
Until we meet again..
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
May green be the grass you walk on
May blue be the skies above you
May pure be the joys that surround you
May true be the hearts that love you.
(Irish Saying)
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Dutch, and for the lovely blessings. Sending my best wishes to you. 💜
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They always teach us to be in the moment, don’t they? Sending you good wishes Carol.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comments and kindness, Andrea. Sending my best wishes to you, too. 💜
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Ok Carol here I go:
As I take you for a walk
and watch your shoes clomp by
I often stop and wonder
Often even sigh
Sorrows that you carry
Don’t pass me by at all
If you’d only lick some grass
They may just pass and flow
And for that tree trunk activity
That you have so often observed
Let me tell you one thing
I know just how it serves
In case we make a wrong turn
And we get lost you see
I’ll get us both back home
With hopes a bone for me.
… Tinto ❤️
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Very funny, Tube! (Just one correction, my high top Reeboks softly glide along the sidewalk like a pair of moccasins 🙂 )
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Very fine poem and thoughts. I love Pinto’s eyebrows. Take care.
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It is always a gift to hear from you, Bob. Thank you so much for your kind words. Pinto is such an adorable fellow, and quite a character. I bet Willow could teach him a lot, though. He really never learned how to play.
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I bet Pinto would show Willow more. Willow doesn’t take to playing with other dogs either. She has no patience with puppies. I think they would get along splendidly. Take care dear friend. Bob
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How lovely, Carol – your words and your beautiful little companion.
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Izzy, it’s always a delight to hear from you! Thank you so much for your kind words. 💜
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So sweet, Carol, and wistful there at the end. Animals and nature in general have many lessons for us about being the present… tasting the dew, smelling the trees, and walking beside each other.
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Dear Diana,
Please forgive this very belated reply to your thoughtful, lovely comments! I am deeply grateful for your kindness and am sure you will understand how easy it is to get overwhelmed by too many responsibilities. Spring is often like that, and this spring was especially so. I created new assignments for the research class I teach and then spent many hours grading each of the papers students submitted to address both content and writing issues. I also decided to fix up my house and gardens, still works in progress, and then, the hard drive on my computer gave out. Of course, that was a blessing in disguise. I had a chance to read actual books of my choosing that had been sitting on shelves for several years. Slowly, I am trying to catch up before I get buried in work again in the fall. But in the meantime, I do want to say thank you and send my best wishes to you. 💜
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All good, Carol. It sounds like you’ve been busy. And life shouldn’t be lived behind a screen, right? I hope your summer is unfolding with grace and beauty and time for being in the moment and enjoying the days. Hugs. ❤
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Hugs to you, too, Diana. 💜
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