SPEAKER'S LESSONS IN LIFE

As Speaker approaches his 16th birthday the nights are getting longer and the days are becoming shorter and we are entering the autumn of our lives. Speaker is aging gracefully. He is unassuming and undemanding and just appreciates time spent with him.

Speaker has given me many gifts throughout his lifetime and life lessons along the way.

Speaker never meets a stranger and greets everyone, young and old alike with a warm greeting and genuine interest. He plays with the young with amazing patience and approaches the elderly with respect and gentleness. He would rather engage with you than have you take his photograph.

He reminds me that it's important to take time to look into each other's eyes and tell one another how much we love them. Make time to snuggle or receive a welcoming massage.

On our short but frequent walks, we reminisce and talk about the good times and the memories we have made. We realize that at times we forgot what was important but gathered our wits and knew it was more about the journey then the result. Titles are for people; not dogs.

Be sensitive to one another's feelings and moods and listen when the other speaks and forgive the mistakes and appreciate the efforts even if the execution isn't perfect. Loyalty comes with the bond.

It is never an inconvenience to care for someone in need or to make someone feel welcome when they are standing alone. Have compassion.

Take the time to make a new friend. That person may become a lifetime friend as many of you have become for me.

Don't forget to put your nose into the breeze and feel the wind on your face. Take time to play regardless of your age. Live in the moment.

Even if you are met with aggression, it's okay to turn the other way. You don't always have to make a point.

Share your toys and your joys and don't be afraid to ask for things you want or need. Don't let bad hair days ruin your attitude and take joy in all that is around you. Sunrises, sunsets, the sound of coyotes in the distance, or a goose gliding across the water, are worth a moment. Make time and don't take life's gifts for granted.

Now we have reached the journey of tenderness and old age and all the sweetness that comes with that and the sadness too that we can't do it all again. It is bitter sweet. As we make our daily walks and the small climbs to keep his limbs strong, I never know if this might be the last day. But Speaker has taught me to live each day as if it were my last. He still enjoys chewing on a stick, or speaking for a treat and a good roll in the grass. The games go on and occasionally I will let him carry a bird around just for the joy of it.

I try to prepare myself but it is useless as I well up in tears at the thought of him not at my side. He brought me along in the field game and now it is my turn to help him get through each day with as much tenderness and care as is possible. It's not his accomplishments as a field dog, but the joys he has brought into my life that make me so appreciative of him and yet so sad that his days are becoming limited. There are no words adequate to express how I feel about a dog that has had such an impact on my life.

We have always shared a very unique and special relationship. A relationship in which we were able to really communicate with an uncanny awareness of what the other was telling us. He was speaking to me from the first day I brought him home and...

He is speaking to me now. I will always hear you, Speaks.

Love,
Lorie