Yesterday December 21, 2003 was not a good day, for the clouds came and took my sunshine away.

For thirteen years one hundred seventy-one days, bright sunshine marked both of our ways.

Now comes the dread and dark of night, and the sunshine is gone from my sight, for I know tomorrow will not be bright, and nothing whatsoever can make it alright..

As I sit here crying, grieving, oh how hard this perceiving, into the darkness we call death, for those of us the sunshine left.

Trying to understand the complexities of life, wondering why the necessity of strife, for from this earth another life departed into the beyond, without a whimper, without a sound, his spirit began to travel outward bound.

As I held him in my arms trying to allay his fears he looked at me without any tears, and in his eyes I could see nothing but his love for me.

Tears are streaming down my face, yet there is no disgrace, for now my sunshine is in another place, running and playing free like the wind, waiting for me to come around the bend, where our lives together will never end.

---

December 21, 2003 at 8:25am my sunshine, "Forthe" ... died, Yes I cried.

---

People will read this, and some will wonder why the need to place it on an open forum, and to them I say, "Someday you will understand." You will understand that Love is not conditional - and love cannot be mitigated. We as human beings must love, or we are not whole - Love is the caring and concern for another ... and another does not necessarily mean another person. The love that inevitably grows out of our need to care for another is ... life, for without love no life is worth living.

Forthe taught me about love ... unmitigated pure love, for when Forthe came to me I had forgotten how to love. He was only 40 days old when he came to me, and at first, we had to come to terms with one another - a meeting of the minds if you will. Forthe won hands down. As our lives progressed from one of company for one another, to a loving and enduring relationship, Forthe became my teacher, my mentor. If I raised my voice for whatever reason, Forthe would immediately leave the room, and whenever I uttered an expletive out of exasperation if something went wrong with whatever I was doing, Forthe again would immediately remove himself from my presence. As our years together progressed, Forthe began to "teach me lessons." Whenever I raised my voice, Forthe would sometime that day jump onto my bed, and proceed to pile the feather comforter used as a spread into a heap covering the pillows. Believe me, an eighty-pound dog can really wreck a bed whenever he wants to! That was his way of telling me, "Jim - you should never raise your voice when talking." Over the years we learned to respect one another, and it is out of that respect our lives were like a bright sunshiny-day.

Right now, my life seems empty ... a place of nothingness ... for there is nothing that can ever fill the void once physically occupied by Forthe, and that is the way it should be; therefore, that is the way it will be. But time does heal, and the void now felt as perceived does not exist, for deep inside of me I know Forthe still lives, and he lives because of his love for me, which will eventually restore peace that comes from knowing ... Forthe loves me, and I love him. Yes, I miss him!

For those of you who never thought about it, and wonder why people say, “Dogs are a person’s best friend,” think, “dog” - when spelled backwards = God.

Jim White

Picture Link

Forthe

Jim White

Dear Jim,

It is a sad farewell to lose our friend of so many years.
You left a beautiful memorial to Forthe on these pages,
open to the world for all to see.

He has joined the stars,
where we all once more merge with All that Is,
that had been, and that will be.

A very special force brought us into this world,
and that same Force will absorb us back.
It is Life, Love, Being, and some say God.

So only a "farewell", but never goodbye,
for as long as there is love in us, the living,
there is Life eternal.

With sincerest sympathy,

Ivan

Click Here: Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary

Natalie is a very special human being, spiritual and dedicated to the teachings of St. Francis. I'm sure you would like her, especially if you are animal lovers too. In the mountains at Glorietta, New Mexico, near Santa Fe, she founded this sanctuary for animals, rescued from the 'death chambers', and then adopted around the nation.

http://www.animal-sanctuary.org/

Ivan