Day 35

6/15/22

Ranger and I headed off this morning to our favorite senior residence in town! It is only three blocks away, but we certainly were dodging the raindrops. Nobody, NOBODY wants to pet a wet golden!

We signed in and headed towards the apartment of one of our most precious residents. Now, we usually have at least 15 to 20 stops on our journey through the hallways, but today was different. Knocking on the door we heard a cheery voice tell us to come on in, and there was our sweet friend.

Ranger settled in on the floor in front of her chair and I pulled another chair around so we could have a short chat. That visit turned into an entire hour of joy, laughter and tears.

This lady was so excited to go to her 70th High School Class Reunion this weekend and that is where our visit began. From there, we walked down memory lane to discover that she knew both of my grandmothers well and even had recollections of my mother and father. Opening the door to many other acquaintances, we simply flowed from one memory to the next with Ranger resting his big head right by her feet.

I surreptitiously glanced at my watch and knew I should move on to other residents when she said she had something to show me. Ranger, who had evidently felt my need to move forward had stood up, glanced at our friend and then circled around to drop back down for a snooze. He knew we needed to stay, so who was I to question the Therapy Dog?

She returned with a book of cards saved throughout her marriage of 68 years. Recently losing her husband has been so hard for her, but she is resolute and wants to make others happy. She opened the book to the very last Valentine's Day card he had given her. In a shaky script, it described his love for her and his devotion throughout time...even into the future without him.