Asher

Yesterday, my aunt Wendy had to put their beloved dog, Raleigh, to sleep. He was 12 years old, the same age as Asher when he went to Heaven. Yesterday was also the three-month mark from when we had to make that gut-wrenching decision to let Asher go. I know he's in a happy place now, but I miss him so much sometimes that it hurts. I wrote a poem many years ago about Asher, and I thought I'd share it today:

"Asher"
He may not always listen to me
Sometimes, he even talks back
He constantly wants my attention,
Especially when I'm the most busy.

He takes up most of the bed
And he snores sometimes, it's true.
He tracks in mud between his toes
And when I call his name,
He often runs in the other direction;
He thinks that I'm ready for play.
And when he gets a drink of water,
He spills most of it onto the floor.

I know that he's not perfect,
But he has the most beautiful face
And when I come home
At the end of my day,
Or I return from a long, long trip,
He's the one who greets me.
He makes me smile, and when I'm sad
He licks the tears from my cheeks

And I know then right at that moment
That no matter how down I may be
No matter what problems I'm facing today,
Or what loneliness has caused me to frown,
Asher is here and he loves me.
There's nothing else he lives for,
but to show me unconditional love.

Melissa Anne Morse
April 14, 1997

Below is a poem that I shared with my aunt Wendy yesterday. It was shared with me by Patty Keller. She received it from her father when their dog was hit by a car 30 years ago: