Lily

Lily came into my life a mere 10 days after I had to say goodbye to my first dog, Molly, in 1997. I was single then and being alone was just too much to bear. I visited the local Humane Society in search of a new friend and found Lily there with her sister. The sign said they were about 4 months old, terrier mix, and would be about 45 pounds. I thought to myself “that’s not so big, maybe I should take them both.” I wanted to sleep on it so the next day I went back planning on adding two pups to my house hold, but Lily was the only sister left. I adopted her on the spot, thanking myself for not waiting any longer or she may have been gone too. It turned out to be fortuitous that I was only able to adopt Lily, since at her biggest she topped out at nearly 100 pounds! I guess the folks that gave her up didn’t know who (or what) her father was! Lily was my friend and companion through 15 years of ups and downs. She was at my side when my oldest childhood friend died, when my nieces and nephew were born, when I hit the big 4-0 and the big 5-0, when I bought my first house, when my parents passed away, when I got married, and when I built a new house with my husband. Now that she is gone, there is a gaping hole in my heart. I will miss my friend and am thankful for every one of the days I shared with her.
-- Kathy Smith Carson