I wrote about my grandparents house yesterday......and though I was told it was going to be torn down and I thought I had accepted that reality, I guess I didn't realize the impact that it would actually have on me. I thought I had the rest of the week to mentally prepare myself.....but to my surprise the demolition was today.
My sister sent me the above photos.....and my heart dropped and I think audibly hit the floor. There is no way to prepare yourself to say goodbye to something so sacred. And there is no way for me to look at these photos without searching for my papaw in them.
This is the after picture. I haven't seen the property with my own eyes yet....and quite honestly, I don't know how I will react. But if my reactions today have been any indication, there will be a lot of tears. Right now, I'm hanging on to the memories that those trees hold. Hey, I'm grasping to hold on to anything I can.
Now for my second sad goodbye.........
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| Buford |
Five years ago this fall, we were at my grandparents one Sunday afternoon for our weekly family dinner and a dog show was on television. The bloodhound came on and my mom went on and on about how much she loved them and how the porches of her log house would look perfect with a bloodhound laying on them. A few weeks later....the day after Thanksgiving.....my sister was out doing her Black Friday shopping and she happened up on several dog breeders from Nashville selling different breeds in the parking lot of Kohls. What are the chances? Anyway, they had four-week-old bloodhound puppies (the biggest four week old puppies EVER, by the way). She called me and we decided that a bloodhound puppy would be the perfect Christmas present for my mother. Mainly, the idea of giving my mother what we knew would grow to be a dog that outweighed her was funny to us......as usual, everything we do is one big joke. We didn't ask her permission....because we knew she would say no. It's one thing to say you want something....and another thing entirely when the enormous responsibility gets thrown in your lap. My sister and I showed up at my parents house with this puppy.....and I'm pretty sure my mom's jaw dropped so hard she dislocated it....and not in a good way. She was reluctant...but we had spent hundreds of dollars on this fat, wrinkly ball of fur and loose skin so she couldn't say no. And so it began.....the journey of Buford taking over my parents lives and their house and their yard and subsequently booting my sister and I to the bottom of the food chain as far as children go. Buford is my parent's son....and he is definitely a momma's boy. My sister and I have said for years that he gets away with things we would never have gotten away with. A short time ago we found out he had lymphoma and blasto. A rare combination, unheard of to vets, and untreatable. After a few different vets and surgeries and tests and even calling Auburn, he was placed on medication to buy him a little more time. And it has worked for several weeks. He has been his usual jolly, happy self. He has swam in ponds and chased bubbles and ate oatmeal pies to his hearts content. We were told the "end" would come quickly. And the end came this morning. At first it was wait and see to determine if he was just having a bad day. We now know that it isn't just a bad day.....and the vet can't believe we have been lucky enough to have him for this long. While my parents and my sister and I know in our hearts that we have done everything we can do, saying goodbye at the vets office tomorrow morning will be as hard as losing a human family member.....because he is family. So....this is my tribute to you, Buford. Thank you for making my family laugh and for keeping my mother on her toes. What started out as a joke took on a life of its own and you quickly became king. My mother says "There are dogs....and then there are dogs that are a cut above the rest....and Buford is a cut above the rest". And she's right.
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| Working his way into every pic.... |
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Sweet boy.....loving the four-wheeler :)  |
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| Loving on daddy :) |
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| Sweet boy |
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| Digging holes......all-time favorite activity |
Buford, losing you will forever leave a void in the life of my family. For all the memories and smiles and laughs and for all the times you barged into my sisters house just to make her mad....I am grateful. And I know that I know that I know....in my heart of hearts....that all dogs indeed go to heaven.
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