If I Didn't Have Hope

Well Boy #1 and his GF just left to go back to college. Mr. Man had to be at church, so I was here to send them off on my own. I should've taken a picture of the GF's car. Both #1 & GF are clothes horses, so the car was packed to overflowing!! Of course being a worrisome mom I was panicking about GF not being able to see out her rear window-I sounded just like I remember my Mom sounding!

After 3 years of saying goodbye to #1 I have learned to make it short & sweet, and to try my hardest not to cry in front of him. You'd be proud of me, I didn't shed a tear! Well at least not until they drove down the street, off to their own lives that I am not a part of. As soon as I closed the front door, boy the tears began to flow. It was such a good 3 weeks with #1, and I keep thinking that someday in the not too distant future #1 & #2 will not call this place home, that they will have their own apartments or homes & that coming here will just be a stop at the holidays.

They only thing that saved me from curling up in a ball and crying for the rest of the day was HOPE, our beautiful 6 year old Briard, who we rescued from the shelter exactly 11 months ago today. As I sat on the steps crying Hope came up to me & looked into my eyes & straight to my soul. "I'm here. I love you. I need you to take care of me. I won't leave you." she said, & then she licked a tear off my cheek. I thank the Lord everyday for bringing Hope into our lives, both literally & figuratively. Hope came into our home at a time when Mr. Man & I were both really struggling with the boys being gone. We were both so sad & depressed that we really couldn't help each other. I decided that we needed a dog since we had had to put our Carin Terrier, Angel, to sleep last December. Mr. Man was not on board with getting another dog & told me that it would be "your dog & your responsibility." God lead me to just the perfect dog. He gave me Hope! I thought we were going to change Hope's life, but it has worked both ways for sure! Hope is a daily reminder to me that God has plans for me. Plans that are better than the plans I have for myself. Out of sadness and loneliness came Hope!

Here's a picture of our Hopey. We call her our Big, Beautiful Briard. She is the light of our lives, one well loved, spoiled girl!