Dixie is on the left, just shy of 18 years old… Dusty right, just shy of 12.

Our two lovely dogs…  
passed away two weeks apart.

Dixie passed away just last week on Shabbat. Dusty began his goodbye two weeks earlier also on Shabbat. A few hours after sundown, he took his last breath.

I am comforted by my precious four year-old  pal who keeps asking/telling me, “They are in Shamayim!?”  (Heaven in Hebrew).
“Yes“,  I say. “They are in Shamayim.”

DIXIE

Smart as all get out, loyal, and tricky… 

Dixie seemed like the sweetest thing since sliced bread… but she was the boss and tough as nails! It wouldn’t be a surprise to find her (with her short little legs) standing on the kitchen table which she somehow managed to find her way onto. Dixie loved fiercely. Her ferocious bark surprised visitors when they saw it was this 40 pound shorty little girl that made all that noise!

At the end, Dixie was over 120 in human years, mostly blind, deaf, lame, feeble minded, wearing diapers, and still she managed to know when she was needed. The day before Dusty passed, while the rest of us had no idea, Dixie must have known. After months of isolating herself, she came and laid beside Dusty for two days. Even when Dixie left us for good, she waited until both of my sons and even my ex-husband were gathered together for a Shabbat. We all got to say our goodbyes and she managed to make sure we all had support. I will close with a bunch of pictures of these lovely critters. But first I’ll share a sweet little gift I received….

I have been exhausted this week. I think it’s grief taking the form of tiredness.

Without detail, I will add that my family just lost a precious relative the day before Yom Kippur. A bigger than life kind of guy with a huge heart, he was beloved to my sons and like a special brother to me… We’ve had a lot of loss since this New Year/Rosh Hashanah. 

While listening to a Jewish class, I heard something along the lines of

— whatever happens, we can choose how to see it. We can see a difficult situation as hopeless or we can see it as somehow meaningful, perhaps beyond our understanding. And in all cases, regardless how easy or hard, happy or sad a circumstance, it is ALWAYS a chance to connect with Hashem. 

Now, in my tiredness and low feelings, I remind myself, we are connected to Hashem right here and now. Now is a special moment to connect, no less than any other moment. Feelings are not facts –BUT – I accept as fact that Hashem is here with each of us. When I remember that, the sadness itself transforms into something positive, whether I see it right now or not. 

With that, here are some adorable pictures of Dixie and Dusty! I offer a blessing that all of your dearest wishes come true, and that your blessings are so clear and obvious, they’d hit you in the face if you weren’t paying attention. ❤️

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