L.
What is it about the summer solstice? A time of change from one season to the next. It is seemingly also a time of loss. Too many seem to leave us for the bridge at this time of year. It heralds the beginning of summer, of growth, of warmth, of change.
It has been a year ago, a lifetime and just yesterday, that Ryce said goodbye to us, to spring, to pain, to his life with his family. His journey to the bridge was just as his life had been, quiet and dignified. Surrounded by those who loved him and those whom he loved and cared for..
He was an ordinary hound but an extraordinary canine being. He chose us as his family and we were blessed by that choice. He was the elder statesman for the family, reminding us daily that dignity and diplomacy were the watchwords for us as a pack. He lived his life with that dignity but was capable of silliness at times when the occasional playfulness struck him. He would then look around to make sure that nobody had seen him do it. We would pretend not to have noticed. He was the diplomatic ambassador, keeping peace when minor disagreements between hounds developed. He would correct with a gentle paw, a quiet bark or a stern snap.
He was also a teacher, instructing me on the ways of hounds, their likes, dislikes and the proper way they should be catered to by their humans. He taught me tolerance, patience, understanding and caring through his actions. He was gentle with the elderly of the family, not allowing a bump or a lean to inadvertently knock someone down. He seemed to sense the frailty of the elderly and challenged when coming into contact with them and afforded them his somewhat more reserved attention with gentleness.
He taught us manners. He was unfailingly polite, asking permission with a questioning look before taking a cookie or sniffing a butt. He would wait to be invited,always holding himself above the playful pushiness of the rest of the hounds.
He was always cognizant of the feelings of others. He instinctively knew when one was sad, happy, pensive or in pain and would care for you appropriately by giving gentle nudges, quiet comfort or acting as a nonjudgmental ear. His mannerisms and ways remain as a comfort to me. Coming over and quietly standing next to me in the night, looking out over the backyard, watching the current hounds of the household. He did it life and I feel him there next to me every evening still.
It is the summer solstice now and a year he is gone. It is a time of change. My grief has slowly transformed to feelings of gentle reflection on a life that was so exceptional to me. His life. I can think of Ryce without the pain of loss now. I have moved to a fondness of memory, a kinder inner peace at the loss of my extraordinary companion. His favorite stuffy zebra, placed under my pillow on the day of his journey to a new life at the bridge, now sits out on my night table where it is seen every day. His pictures abound in many rooms of this house. A reminder of love, companionship, caring, tolerance and understanding.
An uncommon hound, my heart hound, my Ryce....
