Goodbye Alex

Yesterday I said goodbye to Alex, my best friend and companion of over sixteen and a half years.  I am heartbroken.  The house feels so lonely and sad without him.  I put my hands on the last spots where he laid and imagine they still feel warm from his presence. 

I met Alex at an animal shelter when he was nine months old.  Our bond was immediate as soon as I asked to see him and they placed him in my arms at the shelter.  When Alex was young he loved to play with toys, run around, and chase anything that moved.  As he got older, his favorite things were a sunny spot near a window, a soft blanket on top of the couch or the bed, and sitting by the screen door and feeling a breeze through his soft silky fur.  He loved treats, graham crackers, grated parmesan cheese, kalamata olives and yogurt.  He liked to tuck in his head and rub it up against people.  But most of all, I think he enjoyed just being together, he & I.  He loved to climb into bed and lay on my chest, where he would get lots of pets and good scratches behind his ears and under his chin.  He loved to lay under the warm desk lamp while I was working.  He loved to lay in my lap whenever Mark & I sat in our sunroom, just relaxing and sharing our day.  He loved to just be wherever I was and would follow me from room to room.  And I loved him being there, every single day for nearly seventeen years. 

Alex was smart, patient and quiet.  He was sweet and affectionate.  He shared in many happy times of my life, and provided great comfort to me during the sad times.  He went with me from my apartment, then to my townhouse, and finally to our current home.  He learned to share me with Mark, and later Kai.  He was always there for me, and just his presence and soft purr would warm my heart.  I will miss his happy greetings when I come home at the end of each day.  I will miss feeling his body sleeping next to me at night.  And I will miss seeing his sweet face entering a room to come and join me. 

Alex, I hope you are somewhere now where you can enjoy warm sunshine on your fur and feel healthy and strong again.  Goodbye my dear, sweet, handsome friend.  I love you forever. 





Happiness