Love’s Journey Never Ends

Everything around seems the same – the Sun comes out each day and goes down, and the beautiful, bright green field outside Joey’s room reminds the rural Irish landscape. Rain. Rain all day and all night. The holiday rush is over, and only random garlands in the neighborhood remind us of the recent Christmas season. The loud chatter of tree frogs continues for days now. Spring is in the air. Nature generously shares its priceless gifts.

New Journey.

The last seven and a half months have been beyond challenging. Life in our household changed. I still listen for Marley’s paw steps on the stairs to our bed where we used to sleep. In my dreams, I still hope he will lay on my chest in the morning when I have to get up for work. My boy used to hate it when I had to get ready and leave for work in the mornings.

Everything changed at once. I had to learn a new way to live. When a vital part of you is gone, you need to re-learn how to function without it. I kept getting out of bed and bringing myself to work. But that was it. Things that I used to enjoy didn’t matter anymore. I stopped exercising and never listened to the radio in my car.

After Marley’s passing, I thought I would die from grief. Nothing mattered anymore; life seemed pointless and painful. Every step around the house reminded me of his gorgeous smile and unique talk. I called Marley “My loving Walkie-Talkie.” He used to sit on the kitchen counter and watch me make dinner. Marley patiently waited until I gave him something to sniff or approve the food I was cooking. We were together all the time. Marley followed me around the house, everywhere I went.

Soulmates.

When I look at the spot by the entrance door, I picture Marley sitting by the window and waiting. A few months ago, I sorted the files on my cell phone, and Marley’s picture appeared. He was standing on his rear paws, watching the sunset out the window. I still keep Marley’s photo in our Chewy.com profile, where we buy products for our boys. I can’t accept the idea of not having Marley on Chewy’s website.

Marley enjoyed the sunshine. One of Marley’s favorite things was to sunbathe. Every day I still open the blinds and let the sunlight in the room, just like our last spring together. Intuitively, I love sparkly, orange, and shiny things. They remind me of Marley and make us closer to each other.

“Love’s Journey Never Ends” (Holiday Home).

I look around and feel Marley’s presence. I talk to him all the time. When I drive to work, I say: “Good morning, my darling.” I write Marley letters, and I know he receives my messages. Marley is my soulmate, and I still share my life with him. Sometime around Christmas, I walked around a store, thinking of Marley, and the tears started flowing out of my eyes. For some reason, I turned it into a Christmas section. There was a souvenir “Giving plate” in front of me. The text on the plate talked about the blessings of family and friends gatherings. My eyes landed on the last sentence: “Love’s journey never ends.” My precious, wise boy told me that our bond is unbreakable and our love will always live.