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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>First and foremost, I want to express again my gratitude for all of the care, concern and support I have received from my friends and family and members of the Drool –both publicly and privately.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I doubt I will ever be able to express how much your kindness has meant to me or repay the debt I owe each and every one of you.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>And while everything in my life is not hunky-dory or even close to being back to where it was before it turned south on me in March, I wanted to let you know I have found a bit of peace with the recent deaths of Maggie and Olivia.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Try as I might, I could not wrap my head around it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We’ve talked before about getting signs from our loved ones beyond the grave.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some of you have heard the story (or may remember) when my first basset, Dodger, passed that as I left the vet’s I looked up to see a shooting star —a rarity in this part of Southwest Washington – and knew that it was him letting me know he was okay and that he’d spied my dad and was racing off to join him.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And you may remember that when Mags passed and I started the Jeep I heard the opening strains of Rod Stewart’s Maggie Mae (for which my Mags was named).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Since Olivia died, not a day goes by that I don’t hear the start of that song <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">at least once</I></B> a day, if not more often.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I have not been able to bear hearing the song and so would turn it off.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>Tuesday evening I was outside with Abby and Pris talking to a couple of neighbors and someone had their stereo on.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You guessed it, the song starts up and I sort of brace myself when suddenly one of my neighbors points skyward and we get to see several shooting stars racing across the night sky –<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>not just one, but five -- Dodger, Morgan, Oliver, Mags and Olivia.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And I realized that Mags had to go before Olivia – Olivia had never met the “boys.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mags knew she would be needed to meet Olivia as she crossed the Bridge and take them to join the rest of our pack and my folks.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>That night was the first night I’ve slept soundly since Olivia’s death.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Maybe I should have listened to the song before …</FONT></P>
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