August 29, 2010

A Handkerchief in a Hurricane


It is Sunday morning, and Joe, Lisa, Wilson and I have just finished burying Lily. Joe and I found her late last night as we were returning home from a family dinner at my parent's house. She was laying dead on the edge of our road, a stone's throw from our own driveway. We assume she was hit by a car. That makes her one of five out of the seven dogs I've had in my life that have gotten hit by cars, three of which were fatal encounters.

After loading Lily's body into the car, we drove back to our house to find Wilson in the midst of a serious seizure. Whether he was a witness to the accident or not, he was obviously dealing with it in his own way. When the grave had been dug and Lily's blanket wrapped body placed in it, Wilson slowly circled the edge of the hole, leaning in to sniff a long while at Lily's head. He also spent a long moment smelling Lisa's hands, which had supported Lily's head as she was carried to the grave. He then curled up a few feet away in the grass and repeated the somber sniffing again when the grave was covered.

As we sat by the grave swapping tears and stories, Lisa shared her favorite memory of Lily. Recently, she and her friend Mark interrupted a project they were working on to stop and watch Lily fly through the field in a solitary, joyous pursuit of who knows what. "Wow, she looks like a handkerchief in a hurricane" was Mark's description. I can't think of a better way to capture the exuberant celebration of life that was Lily's existence on this earth. She was with us only 18 months, but she filled her time here with such energy and enthusiasm. She will definitely be missed.

4 comments:

canningmama said...

Oh, Mandy, I'm just so sorry. I guess it doesn't matter how far away you live from the main road huh? Those cars are just dangerous. If you remember, Maggie met her final demise due to a car. She was never a chaser, but had become nearly deaf and blind, so we assume she was just crossing the road when she got hit. Cars and dogs. They just don't match. One thing's for sure though. An animal has never had a better home than in the home of your's. Love you. xo

Unknown said...

Amanda, i am sorry about Lily. It is so so sad to lose a pet, but especially like this. I'm sure Lily is sniffing and soaring through the fields just over the Rainbow bridge.

My condolences to you and your family.

Tricia
aka Kooky from Etsy

MsAnomaly said...

Oh, Amanda, I CRIED when I read this! I am so sorry about Lily, who was such a dear little furbaby! I hope Wilson will be O.K.; just give him time like you and your family will need, too. Lily has lots of Beagles team furbaby friends waiting to play with her over the rainbow bridge, and she has left you with sweet memories. HUGS! Linda

Three Wishes Collective said...

Amanda - what a horrible thing to have happen. I am so sorry and will pray for your family to make it through such a difficult time.