A Year of Gratitude – March 15, 2024
My gratitude was easy to find today. She was standing right in front of me, directly behind me, or right on top of my feet. This morning, she started out snuggled up on the couch with me.
I had heard people refer to their dogs as “shadow dogs”, but I had never been owned by one until Penny Lane came into my life. She is my shadow all day long. She moves from room to room, following me, making sure that she isn’t missing something. It goes on all day long. I’ve often wondered how many steps she gets in during the day just being my shadow.
She turned nine years old last week. It won’t be long until we celebrate the 9th anniversary of the day we brought her home. It was the day that this old farmhouse became filled with love in a way it hadn’t been before. I can’t imagine this old house without her in it.
She grew up with my children. I watched them all go through the stages of their childhood and puppyhood together. They have each evolved, grown, and become wonderful adult versions of themselves. Yet when I look at them, I can’t help but see the little people, or puppy, they each used to be.
I thought of that this morning when I looked over at Penny. She was snuggled up on a blanket and under one, just the way she likes to be. While it is difficult to make out, her chin is resting on my leg in this photo. It’s her way of making sure that I can’t get up from the couch unnoticed.
She is gazing out the front windows of the farmhouse. She’s always watching for rogue squirrels and chipmunks. She sounds the alert when a package is being delivered or when a jogger passes by.
Mostly, she just wants to be a part of our day. She wants to be where we are. That’s her happy place.
Perhaps that is why we are so well suited for each other. I just want to be a part of her day and of my family’s day. I want to be wherever they are. Being with them, with her, is my happy place. I feel so grateful for every moment I get to spend in that happy place with the people I love. I’m grateful beyond measure that they love me back.
I’m not sure where the last nine years went. In many ways, it seems like Penny Lane just became a part of the family that I love. In equal ways, it feels like my heart has belonged to her forever.
What an incredible stroke of luck is was that a puppy born in a shelter in Georgia would find her way to one in Maine and then come home to live her entire life with us. I’m so grateful that she did.
This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.