Rest

Sunday is a day of rest. This is the day we set aside to attend worship services and rest from our regular work.  
Today we also said good- bye to Jackson. Rest Sweet Jackson.

Jackson resting in our backyard. 

May 2013

The following is from my daughter's blog, The Thirty Girl

I met Jackson Joseph Ellington Conrad Sturdivant while holding him in a hotel room in Ohio when I was a junior in college. Jackson, our family golden retriever, woke me and my mom up in our hotel room. His whine was heartbreaking. He was a new puppy and just needed to be held.

So I held him and we both fell asleep.

There are many times in my life when this dog and I held each other in our ups and downs.

As a puppy, Jackson was full of energy. He would have these puppy fits in Tennessee when he would run around the house over and over and over. If dogs could smile, Jackson would be all smiles. As an adolescent dog, Jackson still had his insatiable energy. When my parents prepared to move from Tennessee to Kentucky they needed a place for Jackson to live other than a kennel.

So Jackson was sent to live with me.

Jackson arrived to my apartment after his first scary ride in an elevator. Mom dropped him off and Jackson became my roommate as I finished graduate school in Memphis. We ran miles next to the Mississippi River. We heard gunshots from the neighborhood. We watched tv. We rode in the car. I taught him that sitting on couches made much more sense than sitting on the floor. We hung out with my now husband.

And throughout the years, Jackson taught me about patience, kindness and love.

Jackson was a part of my family for the last 12 or so years. Jackson has always continued to age – as time went on. His trips to the dog park in Kentucky were shorter. His pace was a bit slower. But Jackson was Jackson. He recognized me and Kenley whenever we visited home. He would assume his spot on the couch and bed whenever I was at home with my family.

Because I knew Jackson was getting older, I would have these goodbye moments with him before K and I would return to Omaha.

We would sit together on the floor and I would revisit some of our favorite memories and I would thank him for his friendship.

So, like every goodbye before, this last visit in 2012, I said goodbye again. I’d noticed that my strong and consistent dog was truly aging. He had that graying/white mask around his nostrils – very typical of golden retrievers. He labored up and down the stairs. He moaned and groaned. And he was tired.

But old dogs can learn new tricks – Jackson learned to be an amazing fighter in his last days.

We found out he had bone cancer and that there was not a ton that the doctors could do.

Mom, Dad and my brother Jonathan have administered pain medicine to Jackson in his last days. They have FaceTimed with me so I could see our dog. They have worked to make him as comfortable as possible.

Our sweet Jackson went to doggy heaven Sunday morning. I hope there is a doggy heaven so he can hang out with Dolly and Joe and all of the cool dogs in our lives.

Here is to the dogs in our lives that remind us to be gentle with ourselves and each other. To the dogs that capture our hearts and even the hearts of the supposed not dog lovers. To the dogs that have the commanding bark yet welcoming jump. To the dogs that love us through those ups and downs in our lives. To the dogs that, in their own way, hold us until we fall asleep. To the dogs that teach us how to care for ourselves and each other.

So, in honor of my lovely Jackson, take time today to cuddle with the one(s) you love, jump on the couch and run around the house like crazy.

Jackson Joseph Ellington Conrad Sturdivant – the golden retriever