When I woke this morning, long before the first robin began it’s incessant song, what instantly popped into my head was Deacon the Florida collie.  I’ve been thinking about him and his Dog-Dad since yesterday when I heard the sad news that he had unexpectedly and suddenly left this earth.

I’ve been reading Deacon and Essex’s blog for several years now, and though I can’t say I knew him well, I can say for sure that his Dad is hurting right now in a profound way that we can all understand.  Deacon wasn’t yet five years old and he left his family way too soon.  He was a fun loving boy, one who never met a face he didn’t want to lick.  He was patient too, as you can tell if you visit his blog.  His Dad put all sorts of goofy hats on him and Deacon wore them all with a kind of stoic elegance.

So this Sunday morning on a holiday weekend as Katie got me up before the birds I quelled my irritation a bit and let her lick my face even though I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep.  Because of Deacon.   I know how lucky I am to have her and that our time with our dogs is always going to be too short.   But really.  Four years?  That’s way too short.

If you have a moment go on over to Deacon’s blog and leave a message for Dog-Dad. He’s got a long road ahead of him without his buddy and he could use a hug.  And while you’re at it, hug the fuzzy one near you, the one that’s looking at you with the big eyes while you’re on the computer, hoping for a walk or a ball toss.

I’m glad I got to meet you Deacon.  Run free big fella.