EULOGY

http://www.thegafferchronicles.blogspot.com/  Today I am referring my friends to a friend of mine's blog.
You see The Gaffer and I share a lot of time together, but we do not usually speak with one tongue.  Today, however, is one of those days.

I have spoken of this remarkable young man before.  He came to live in this Boardinghouse from a terrible abuse situation.  Three legs broken and thrown away.  A rescue group "Pasado's Safe Haven" in Sultan WA.  called us and said that they had another dog that would be a great service dog. (The Gaffer and I had just 'Christmas eve' lost our other service dog - Gypsy Rose.)  So, Jean Luc (Yes, of the Picard family) came to stay.

He travelled the states with me, riding in style in the cabin as he was a service dog.  He worked with Police, fire, rescue, elders and just plain folks in the capacity of Grief relief.  He was a fighter, a lover (at age 21 and having had 'the operation' LONG ago) tried to mate with one of the other boarders here.  We shouldn't laugh at someone else's expense, but you see one of his legs never healed - the back one so for him to try to woo someone was really funny, especially as the she here is blind and was ready to rip him a new one but couldn't find him.

For nine years, he never left my side.  Now, I have, years ago, lost a  human child - to murder - and this was nothing like that, but still - our four legged (or three legged) friends get under our skin and reside in our hearts, give us joy, give us grief, but never, ever betray us or want anything else but love, friendship and caring from us.

I do a lot of grief work - Critical Incident Stress stuff for first responders - things that make them laugh, cry, yell and scream at me and at themselves, but when it comes to my own grief, I look to memories and times of joy and laughter - most of all laughter.  We lit a candle for him, rang the temple bell, shared a glass of Aquavit - Whooo - and told him that we would meet him (and the others) across that Rainbow Bridge some day - so watch out.

                                         Jean Luc
                                         1990 - 2012
                                         In order to really enjoy a dog,
                                         One doesn't merely train him to be semi-human.
                                         The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility
                                         Of becoming partly a dog.