I’m currently sitting on the couch at my home in Atlanta watching my Gracie sleep…. she seems so peaceful… She’s snoring…loudly… I mean obnoxiously loud…she can be so funny…Anyway, I don’t have any human children…she’s my child….

And I look over at her and I smile…I think for a moment how everyday is a wonder with her….

I love how she can’t wait to see me and find out what we’re going to do for the day…how we’re going to go for a walk, or have something to eat and snack on…

and then I can’t wait to try and figure out how to keep her entertained as I attempt to move the decimal points to the right rather than the left…

I’ve been trying to read various blogs from several captains of Industry looking for insight to make our company https://www.shopforrescues.com more effective in our mission to support rescues across the USA… and some of the perspectives have been impressive… and others …well, clearly disconnected…

and as Gracie decides to shift position I try to hug her…

It’s easier to think of all the fun Gracie and I have had over the past 4 years of our life together rather than of how I almost lost her as a pup because she was infested with worms …

of how we made it through the blood transfusions, antibiotics, destruction of personal items such as sneakers, etc. (not too bad)…

and to how now she is pretty much attached to me at my hip…an actual velcro dog…that she’ll even sit with me and request a rear scratch at the most inopportune of times…

and that she willfully and happily fulfills her purpose….to love me with all she has…

And as I’m sitting here with her I’ve become brutally aware that she means everything to me and that this note is being typed with one hand because her head is on my arm and I can’t move…

Suddenly I’m flooded with the memories of all of the fur-kids that have been part of my life….a tapestry filled with incredible memory…Circe, Reuben, Max, Lexi and Ally….

And as I’m sitting on the couch I began to remember Ally…I think of how Gracie would’ve loved her…and Lexi… I imagined them playing together..and then thought of them sneaking around the house together getting themselves into all kinds of trouble…

and of how Ally loved the water and the beach and how Gracie would sit by my side wondering what was wrong with Ally because she couldn’t stand either…and how Lexi was so smart…

and then it hits me….a brutal reality…that the hardest moment I’ve ever experienced in my entire life occurred as I stepped away from giving my last girl Ally the very last kiss before I could let her go …

how in a milli-second when I wanted to turn around to connect one last time she was gone…that she crossed over the Rainbow Bridge…and the importance of that very moment.

Oh… how I wish I could give one more kiss… I so wanted to have her continue to stare into my eyes and stay with me and I told myself that all would’ve been ok; that I was willing to live out the rest of my life on the floor next to her…

but she was in pain and I could never be so self centered and cruel to cause her any discomfort because I couldn’t let go…

Throughout the whole morning all I could do was enjoy the moment…each one…and then…. And then I realized how I missed each wag of her tail... because it told me how much she loved me…. and rather than get lost in my grief I could focus on why I would love Gracie with everything I’ve got… …that I could become the world's most appreciated waiter…

that I could continue to just stare down at her as she lay sleeping and watch her dream wherever and whenever I could - at every possible chance…

And that I could and would always try to hold her head in my hands and inhale the one spot on her nose that smells like puppy; it’s always there … and no one ever forgets that puppy smell.

I’ve realized that Gracie, like Ally, is the best introduction I could and ever will make to anyone! And the way that Ally used to talk to me makes me a better listener for Gracie.

I smile to myself because I know I understand her stare... especially the one that says “are you gonna eat that?” and “can I have it?”

I’ve come to realize that I love sharing my food, especially chicken and steak... and that when I do I instantly became the greatest hero ever!

I realized as pondering dual times of existence that I would never, ever, forget my Ally’s unabated compassion and absolute joy in life…and that Gracie is the same.

I guess knew and certainly know of my capacity to love - because I loved her and love Gracie… and because all too often they have been the only one’s who would listen to me in my times of need… Ally loved me unconditionally without fail…as does Gracie…

The truth is that I still love the pain I feel thinking about her despite her not being with me anymore … I’m sure that one day I could miss missing her.

and I know that I couldn’t have made it through life without her…because she’s saved me ... from everything… and I smile in knowing all she wanted to do was love me…and chase squirrels…

So as I look at I look down at Gracie… and remember Ally..and Lexi…and Reuben…and Circe… the tears well up because of the gratitude I feel for what’s occurred in my life…

I’m not a captain of industry…I’m not a brilliant scholar… I’m just a guy who found out his meaning and purpose in life…I guess at best I’m a bit of a messenger… my success in life comes from being surrounded by joy…Gracie…lots of animals…and lots of people who feel the same way about their fur-kids…

I wish I had more insights to cats and horses…but there are others here at https://shopforrescues.com that do…in fact Sean is great to speak with… I have so many friends and associates that do…but I’m a dog person so I’m writing about what I know… I need to reach out to my Aunt Peggy too! She’s a horse person…

My experience in life has been that real wealth comes from the experiences and lessons from life that make us useful… and that it can be found in the nature of ones relationships to those about, with those about…and although experience can be a brutal teacher…there’s brilliance and wonder in simplicity…and for me, at this moment, it’s found sitting here on the couch with Gracie….

So as I finish this written stream of thought and begin to close out the different windows and tabs on my computer - especially the linkedin tab - I realize how grateful I am that I could start a company based upon my beliefs…

And although the company is brand new and we’ve had to refund our first sales because our main distributor had a catastrophic fire that destroyed its facilities, we hope you find our mission is aligned with your beliefs…you can find it here at https://shopforrescues.com/pages/about…

A simple truth is that Gracie and I and everyone at https://shopforrescues.com would much rather discuss how we can assist you in improving the quality of life with your fur-baby or listen to your fur-kid stories or be there for support to you in a time of need than discuss our IRR or ROI or why logistics strategies are vital for success of online retailers (not that we’re not very capable of discussing them or aware of their importance)…

We’re here to be of service…but here’s the real message… always remember when you step away from your fur-kid to never leave them without a kiss, a pat or a hug…

And lastly, if I could ever want anything for all of you out there on the web reading this post, its that you get to have an eternity of joy with your fur-kid - whether it be cat, dog, horse, bunny or hamster or whatever, especially so you never have to wish for one last kiss…