MY HEART SINGS WITH JOY WITH MEMORIES OF OUR GRACIE!
HOW DOES ONE MEASURE LOVE
If there was a scale that one could use as a guide one would perhaps know the answer. Yet all we have are our own feelings and experiences. Gracie held within her a heart filled with that essence we call love. It went beyond the norm and we were blessed every day that we had her with us. Her story is one that could be a lesson to all of us humans if we could but try and see that giving of ones self freely with kindness and a happy spirit is within ourselves.
Gracie was to us a gift and one that we treasured. The hardest thing we did was allowing her to cross over to the Rainbow Bridge and giving her up into God's care. Our hearts could feel her love even as we made this decision. We were with her at the end yet is it the end? We perfer to think it is just a beginning and that one day Gracie too will be there to greet us as we cross over.
I will attempt to share with you our Gracie's story...of her life with us, her history as we know it, and above all her love.
We know in our hearts that Gracie, true to her nature, is gracing us with her abundant love even now that she is gone from us.
Sitting outside on my backyard patio area with my cup of coffee enveloped in the filtered sunlight given by the large maple trees, my thoughts collecting to write Gracie's story, I can but think that this would have been a special day for her.
Gracie would have loved being with me observing the activities of this early morning. My neighbor Jim doing some work around his home, another coming out her door for her early morning walk. A lady across the street walking her dog. Another guy out for a bike ride. Still another working on his car. Gracie would be sitting here seeing what today's morning would share with her.
The birds feeding and singing at the feeders, a rabbit hopping through the flowers, squirrels scampering about. Gracie would have loved it all. She would be content with this early morning. The coolness of the air a slight dampness lingering from the dew on the grass, a light breeze rustling the leaves of the maple trees. Gracie embraced all and I know if she were here she would have blended in with all of the morning activities just as a piece in a mosaic puzzle completes a picture.
This neighborhood in this place is lonelier now that Gracie is no longer here. What a perfect day Gracie would have had. Of course one could fantasize that she is. That she is ambling through the yard catching the smells of the evening visitors and the morning explorers. Watching for human contact so she could greet that person as to say, "Here I am. Remember me?" as she rolled over on her back wanting to be belly rubbed. Gracie indeed loved her life with us, that we are certain of, and better yet she gave her love back to all creatures both animal and human.
Gracie "was" this morning perfect in all ways.
So on this particular July 4th morning it is my honor to welcome all who share love, want love, need love to think of our Gracie and know within your hearts she would have wrapped you all in her world and willingly shared her day with you.
Just a short remembrance of our Gracie. As I returned home from work this afternoon it struck me how deep a loss losing are Gracie was. I found it hard simply because on most occasions when I did so Gracie was always sitting watching for my car to pull up and she would run to greet me as I got out. Waiting to say "Welcome home I missed you alot!" in her own way. Having me pet her and give her love. Today was the first occasion that I experienced her not being there for me to pet and tell her how much I missed her too. It was a profound moving moment for myself because it gave a finality to the fact that Gracie is no longer with us. I miss my Gracie indeed she was my very special "babe"!
...Dan
We first found Gracie on Petfinders.com listed with the Humane Society of Wright County, Iowa. We made inquiries regarding her and within a few days we received a phone call about contacting Mr. Don Garrett of Goldfield, Iowa who had Gracie in his possesion. I made the call Tuesday, February 7, 2006 and talked about Gracie with him. I made arrangements to meet her and possibly bring her home for the next day, Wednesday. Circumstances where such that it was impossible for myself and JoAnn to keep that appointment and so we rescheduled for the following Sunday February 12, 2006 at 10:30 a.m.. Mainly because we did not want her to be home her first day alone while I and JoAnn went to work on Thursday.
We left Mason City at 9:00 a.m. on our way to Goldfield to meet Gracie and Mr. Don Garrett. Light snowflakes were falling and it was a cold 17 degree day here in Iowa with gray overcast skys. A new and exciting adventure underway to introduce us to a Bassett Hound named Gracie. We were hoping she will like us and we will like her and that she will want to become a part of our family and extended family.
Upon arriving at Mr. Garretts acreage we immediately noticed his love of animals, as he had many dogs and even buffalo on his acreage which was way out in the rural countryside. He was not home when we arrived and we upon knocking on his door woke his wife Connie from her slumber and she called for him to come home. She works evenings at Wal-Mart in their pet department and Don was busy with some horses he had been a part of in rescuing from some terrible circumstances.
It was a very cordial and friendly meeting. Don told us of Gracie's history.
She being abandoned by some heartless party along the Iowa interstate and left alone to fend for herself it is trully a miracle that she was granted a new life with ultimately us and we blessed by her grace. She had managed to make her way to a farmer's home in rural Wright County, Iowa and she had hung around his place for several days and the farmer was unable to get her to come to him because she was scared, alone, sick and emancipated. The farmer placed a call to Don and told him about her. They managed to get her and brought her to the vet in Goldfield for a check up. There was some discussion about putting her to sleep as she was in such bad shape and quite obviously had been starving since she had been abandoned. But Don spoke up and said no he would take her home to his acreage and see if he could save her life. This he did and we are ever so grateful to him and his love of animals for doing this. When she was first taken in by Don she weighed less then 35 pounds and she now weighs in the neighborhood of 55 pounds so her transformation, her will to live her attitude towards finding caring peoplegranted her a new lease on her life. Simply amazing! Gracie has a friendly disposition, a built in love, and is filled with a curious nature. When we first arrived we were greeted by many dogs and suddenly there she was bounding up to see who had come to visit Don. Maybe she knew we had come for her...we were sold the minute we saw her.
No one knew her name, she wasn't tagged and so she was given the name of "Grace"...as Don put it, "She was given that name because by the grace of God she is alive today." We took the liberty of altering her new name to "Gracie" because she so sweet and loving. I don't think she cared she was happy to have at last found us. We were happy to have been able to be with her.
We were told that Gracie had been adopted out several times once to several guys in Des Moines but when their work schedule changed they could not devote the time nor did they wish to take care of Garcie's needs. So back she came to Don's place. Next Gracie was adopted to another elderly couple in Fort Madison, Iowa...but here again they were so old that they also did not wish to see to her basic needs. Again she was returned to Don...we are here as her third family. Indeed the third time is a charm for Gracie.
We finalized her transdfer papers and paid a $100.00 donation for Gracie and then we bundled her into our car and headed back to Mason City landing home at about 12:30 p.m.. The journey back was filled with wonderment for Gracie as well as for ourselves. She looked us over made friends with us and just wanted to be in the front seat with us...close by us so that she knew she was safe, loved and happy. She wanted to see out the front window as we drove back and would put her small legs over the gap from the back seat to the front and peer out the window as JoAnn drove the car. She took in all her surroundings and the wide wonderful world which was her vista.
Upon arriving home she jumped from the car and wanted to come inside immediately and discover and explore her "new" home. She located her water dish and food bowls, her toys her "safe spot" and just explore her new place. Gracie has some work to do getting use to us and knowing us and what we expect from her and we have some work to do to understand her also...indeed it will be fun discovering about each other. I took her outside periodically during the day to introduce her to her new enviroment and home.
Her first evening she slept on her quilt upstairs in our bedroom and we didn't have any problems at all during the first evening with her.
The next morning she was full of energy and excitement.
From here she could survey her world watching for any activity and lay down relax and enjoy.
These were some recent pictures of her taken in late June 2008.
Gracie was my "babe" and it is strange not to have her with me as I sit and recall all that was so very special about her. I am so very honored to be able to set this section up for her because she was indeed an important part of my everyday life and activities. Gracie..your home is always in our hearts!
Today was "bath" day for Gracie...she needed one just to get the farm smells from her coat and body and she really did very good taking her bath. She allowed me to lather her up with shampoo and pamper her...it was a fun time.
JoAnn left for work and I was home alone with Gracie and so I decided to take her driving to Wal-Mart because I wanted to buy her some chew bones and treats and a new lead. She rode along great in the fronbt seat and waited with patience for my return to the car, watching me out the front window as I approached. Next stop to our daughter Lisa's place to introduce her to Maggie and Mandy and Princess. Well that introduction went so so and I found out that Gracie was not a huge fan of other dogs...she did not relate well with Lisa's dogs she simple did not care for them nosing her all over and I never again took her over for a visit with them.
The only dog she took to was Noodles who joined our family in July of the same year we got Gracie. Noodles is our Dachshund and they took together as I have never witnessed. They became the best of friends, but more on that story shortly.
Later that afternoon I took Gracie for her first visit to East Park and she had alot of fun doing her walk about there...her walk was more of a slow "amble" as she was never in a hurry always laid back and nearly lazy. She found many new and exciting smells there. She and I came back rather exhausted from our East Park outing. It was trully a fun morning and afternoon for us all.
Please join us as we tell her story...it is an honor for us to tell it to you!
It is with fondness and saddness many who knew Gracie have expressed their sympathy to us at her passing. She is sadly missed by many of our neighbors and friends who she would love to greet and make a part of her day. I perfer to think she is once again sitting on the corner with a watchful eye awaiting that human contact she adored to have...Dan.
Thank you for meeting our Gracie. She is missed by us and loved. Please come back and visit again!
THURSTON'S HOME PAGE
MASON'S HOME PAGE
SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR GRACIE PART TWO
GRACIE'S PHOTOS
