Well Happy 2024! It has been forever since I have written. I have been studying for my CFP exam and that has been all encompassing. I am planning on taking my test again in July. I gave myself a couple of weeks off studying to just take a break. My brain needed a breather. The material is very difficult and can be mind numbing. It has really been an undertaking and I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew. I used to be a great studier and test taker and now it seems a lot harder to retain the information. I cannot wait until I have this exam behind me and I can move forward with my life.
In February, we lost our beloved dog Cooper. He was 15 years old and had been a part of my kids lives since they were born. He was the first baby I had. We woke up one morning to throw up everywhere and Cooper was very weak. He went outside and collapsed in the front yard. It was cold and I couldn’t get him back up to come inside. I sat out there with him trying to figure out what to do. The kids would come out and bring him toys and stuffies trying to help. A man stopped his car and came to our rescue. He was a firefighter who said he didn’t like the picture of a woman sitting in the grass on such a cold day. I told him my dog was ill and he helped me get Cooper back into the house. He was so sweet and gentle with Cooper, and I was so appreciative of him in that moment.
Once I got Cooper back in the house, I called the vet and got an appointment for him. Jim came home and we went to the vet together. We explained that he was ill and weak and not himself. The doctor found a mass in his abdomen and said it wasn’t good. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was sit there and hold my dog as he crossed the rainbow bridge. He was peaceful and content as he passed and that is all I could have wished for. Jim and I cried so much our eyes were swollen and we ran out of tears. It was a very hard day which got even harder as we had to tell the kids. They were at daycare when we picked them up, they were very inquisitive if Cooper was feeling better. Telling my kids their dog passed was difficult. Charlie cried, Cora did too but didn’t really understand why she was crying. It was an emotionally trying day for us all.
It has been a couple of months since Cooper passed. Cora speaks of Cooper often and is always worried about him. She asks if he can come back or if he is in Heaven. I never really thought I would have to explain death to someone and how difficult it is to do. We miss Cooper terribly and think of him often; especially on warm days when he would be laying in the sun and enjoying the yard. We got Cooper cremated. We plan to plant a bush or tree with his ashes so that there is a part of him with us, that we can see and remember what a good dog he was.