Ode to Shamrock

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Green beer day is one of my favorite days of the year! This St. Patty's Day is a little sad in that our dog Shamrock would have been 11 years old today. We lost Sham to cancer on July 23, 2011. The past 10 years we've celebrated her birthday with green cupcakes. Sham adored cupcakes (actually, human food of any kind) and watching her wolf them down was always entertaining. It's hard to believe it's been 7 months since we said goodbye to her. It's interesting, I keep waiting (hoping) that it will hurt a little less to not have her here with me, but the pain never really goes away. Does it get easier? Sure, it has to or no one would ever be able to function. But, gosh I miss her.

Sham was MY dog, I adopted her memorial day weekend of my first year teaching, a reward to myself for completing my first year on my own. She was seriously the cutest puppy ever which was good, because she was also one of the most destructive puppies ever... Her list of "accomplishments" included: bedsheets, towels, a down comforter (we still occasionally find feathers floating around), a blue pen on carpeted stairs, countless paperback books and the legendary wooden post bed. Aside from being wanted on several different terrorism networks, Sham was the best dog a girl could ask for. She was there for me when the rest of the world wasn't, time after time. She guided me through my 20's, never judging, always supportive with her big doggie grin and half chewed bone. When Steve moved to Georgia, I had Shammer to keep me company and rule the roost. Just a couple of single gals, looking for our next big adventure which turned out to be moving to Georgia when Steve and I got engaged a couple of years later.

My favroite memory of Sham has to be our camping trip to Hunters Beach Sate Park in South Carolina. I was pregnant with Stella and we decided to take a "babymoon" before life got too complicated. So, we piled Sham and Willie (our imitation chocolate lab) and went camping for the weekend. The dogs had a blast and so did we. Sham's most favorite thing to do in the entire world was swim. She would literally swim until her legs fell off. In and out of the ocean she and Willie ran, it was fantastic. We had so many good times with her, it's really hard to pick just one.

I could really use her heart right now as I go through this fight for my life. I miss her curled up next to me on the couch, or her preference, my bed. When I would be sad or having a bad day, she'd put her head on my lap and heave her great big doggie sigh, and then all would be right with the world. She knew me better than anyone. I have to trust that she's watching over me from doggie heaven, with bones aplenty and green grass to roll in as far as the eye can see. So, here's to you Old Girl, my star in the sky. I miss you...