Winnie

There are many things in life that complete me and make this journey on earth feel whole. Of course, my faith in Christ is paramount. My family is... wow!... so important. My friends who have stuck by me through the years and years of little effort on my part, are a gift. My profession fills my thoughts and challenges me on every level. Kevin is my rock (in human form). My own children help me to understand myself as they mirror me and yet surprise me with their independence. Am I really that independent? Yikes! Running... oh running...is and has been part of my life since I was 11. I don't know sometimes if it simply completes me or just is me. With all that said, this morning I realized that running with Winnie completes me.

Winnie and I have learned to run together well. She knows not to pull mommy down the hills. Her trot is just about perfect on flats as she trots just a little ahead. My favorite part of running with Winnie is on the uphills. On uphills, she trots right next to me. It was on the last hill of the morning as I cooed to her what a good girl she is in my voice I use only for her, that I realized how much I love this dog. She completes me.

Growing up dogs were always important to me. Dutchess, a one year old Boxer, came in to our family just as my parents were splitting up. I still recall when my parents were telling Lori and me that we (my sister, my mom, and I) were moving to Santa Barbara. My dad and Dutchess were staying in Thousand Oaks. You know what I did? I hugged and kissed the dog and recall being so upset to be leaving the dog. I know I really wanted to hug and kiss my dad probably but the dog, well... completed me.

The month before I turned 10, both of my parents remarried (other people) within a week of each other. Soon after, we got a puppy named Luvi. She was a little Terrier-Poodle mix. Gosh the tears I cried into the fur of that little ball of fluff. We also had so much fun running around the East Pedregosa Street mansion together. Oh, and the hours of her being my only friend it felt in the world. She completed me.

When Kevin and I were newly weds, we bought our first home together on Paso Tranquillo. It had a great backyard that was perfect for a dog. As soon as school was out that summer, I dragged Kevin over and we picked out our first pup, Fred. I really wanted a girl pup. But, Fred was an adorable black lab with an awful under bite. He was discounted due to his jaw and available. We just couldn't leave him. I loved Fred. He was a good running buddy and we enjoyed walks and hikes with Kevin along too. I don't know that he completed me as the marriage was so new and then came the babies that turned Fred into a dog and not part of what I needed. I guess Fred was more Kevin's dog.

When Fred died young of cancer, we went a year without a dog before getting Harley, another black lab, from DAWG. He was a total mess when we got him, but he loved us. We loved him. He was a slug that wouldn't really run, walk or hike. He was definitely more Kevin's dog. I don't know that Harley completed me any more then Fred did, but gosh I know there was such an emptiness in our home after he died of bladder cancer.

The summer after my mom died I knew we had to get a dog. I needed to feel close to my mom and getting a dog...well... I knew would give me that. There was no way in heck Kevin would've let me bring home my mom's Cairn Terrier, Lil Bit. This time I wanted a girl dog. I wanted her to be a smaller sized lab that would run like the wind. I also wanted her to be any color but black. In late July we went up to Bradley and picked Miss Winnie from the litter. Funny that we picked her because she seemed to be more mellow than her sister. I recall her going off and digging a little hole in the dirt and plopping herself in it. This was the pup for us!

It has been a long, funny, and often expensive journey with Wild Winnie. She still is very independent. Her naughtiness is less and less. She is not at all a needy dog, but she loves us. She lets me gush over her and use the voice that special voice that I recall my mom using with Lil Bit,Luvi, and Dutchess. It is funny. I feel so close to my mom when I kiss my Winnie and talk to her. So, when I ran up the that last little hill this morning with my Winnie trotting alongside me I realized how complete I feel. I am running again with my dog. I feel complete.