All Dogs Go to Heaven

Tonight Ms. C brought home her new puppy JR all the way from South Carolina. My kids are so excited they can hardly stand themselves.

C. and her husband are our next door neighbors. C. is retired and is always busy with one thing or another and always finds time to pop in unexpectedly and take my kids to McDonald's or bring us a craft to do or send over something she's baked. C. and her husband had a Jack Russell Terrier named Leroy Brown when we moved here. Evidently he had quite a reputation in his earlier years and legend has it that he bit most of the kids that grew up on this block back in the day. But when we moved here four years ago, Leroy had mellowed with age and with each passing year grew more and more docile. Peach has loved Leroy Brown from the get-go. Well Leroy passed away a few months ago and because it was really hard on Ms. C. and her husband both, I didn't say anything to the kids because I knew they wouldn't be able to NOT say something. As the weeks passed John found out and then there were plans for the new puppy and I just never got around to telling Peach.

Tonight J.R. came home from the airport and my kids all ran to greet him in their driveway and there was much squeeling with delight and ooo's and aaahhh's and "Isn't he SO cute!"'s. Peach and John both managed to wrangle themselves into the house with the luggage, so I went in to try to talk them down and get them back home. They are both out of their minds over this dog. We were walking home when Peach said, "Leroy is going to LOVE J.R.!" Oops. I had to tell her that Leroy had gone to heaven a few months ago and that's why Ms. C got a new puppy, because she missed him so much.

Then the crying started. She scrunched up her face and said "But I LOVE Leroy! I'm gonna miss him! I want Leroy! And Leroy wants me too!" Man, this crap is hard. I don't like hard. "Leroy's gone to heaven to be with the angels." "But I want Leroy here, not in heaven!" "I know, but he wasn't feeling very good and know he's in heaven and his legs don't hurt anymore." Oh the crying and the faces, by the time she was done we were all crying. Finally Charlie took her and said "Leroy's in heaven sittin' on a pillow, eating Bon Bon's with the sun shinin' on his back. There's nothing a dog likes better than sittin' on a pillow and eating Bon Bon's." And she started laughing every time he said "Bon Bon's".

Then tonight after we put her to bed, Charlie's sister emailed to say they had to have their Corgi put to sleep last Thursday. And Peach loved Jasmine even more than she loved Leroy.

Ya'll keep that sweet girl in your prayers. She's gonna have a hard week. And send up one for Jasmine and Leroy too.