Message from a schnoo

My son came into my room yesterday with a big smile on his face. He told me he had a wonderful dream about Arlie. In his dream, the whole family was watching Arlie play with an angel and having such a great time. When they were finished playing, they went back up to the stars but not before Arlie let Jackson pet him one more time.

When Jackson first told me this story, I had to hide my tears because naturally it made me sad. Then, I thought about it all day and slept on it last night. This morning I went up to Jackson and said, "Honey, I've been giving a lot of thought to the dream you had with Arlie. I think it was Arlie's way of telling you he is happy and feels healthy and is ok so that you can stop feeling sad about him being gone."  Jackson's face lit up. He told me again what a great dream it was and I told him how lucky he was to be chosen out of everyone in the family that Arlie paid a visit. Arlie must have loved him so very much to go to him first. 

The kids keep asking about a new dog. I told him we are getting one but have to wait for the perfect dog that I know Arlie will pick out for us and that it probably isn't born just yet. We are waiting for a much wanted pregnancy confirmation of Arlie's half sister. Therefore, we would be getting Arlie's neice/nephew. Wouldn't that be wonderful??? The very thought of it makes me smile. I can't get a thought of a brown dog with a white chest out of my head.

I was cleaning behind the couch today and found 2 of Arlie's favorite toys. I started to get blue all over again. One step forward, two steps back. I know this sounds strange, but Greg and I keep seeing Arlie on quick glances and hearing him thump around our halls. When I go for a run, I see him running beside me with his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth all long and pink. Greg and I think little angel Arlie is waiting until a new pup comes along to fill the doggy void. Sounds crazy as I type it. Man, we miss him.