Friday, July 10, 2009

Al and Me

Tonight Amber and I watched "Marley and Me." I am always leery of movies about dogs because they usually make me feel very sad. I am sure most people, especially those who feel it is odd to call the family dog "brother" or some other family-based reference, would not be touched by this type of movie. I, on the other hand, am one that sees my dog as my first child and my daughter's big brother. If you think that is weird, so be it. Anyway, "Marley and Me" had us both balling our eyes out. I cried more thinking about when Al dies than from the movie itself. Again, I realize most rational people think I am an idiot for acting out like this about a dog. To answer that I ask you these questions: What friend/spouse/child have you ever seen that was always, ALWAYS, happy to see you when you walked in the door? What friend/spouse/child has never, and will never hold a grudge when they have been wronged? I think of all the times that I have come home and Al is there happy to see me and I flat ignore him, and at some point I will come home and he will not be there. That kills me inside.
Have you ever heard that petting a dog lowers your blood pressure?Let me illustrate like this: Abbie has been struggling with sleeping in her bed in her own room, to help soothe her I asked if she would want to have "brother" in the room with her. She said yes and after moving his bed in her room and coaxing him in there, she calmed down and went to sleep. Not because "the dog" was there with her, her brother was with her. I would not have felt like this when I was younger. But, Al is going to be 10 next year. He has been a part of our lives for almost as long as we have been married. I could go on, but I am sure that most of

you think this is a ridiculous post, and if you do, it is your loss. To the rest of you, "Marley and Me" is a real tear-jerker, but really made me think about my baby boy.

No comments: