The Baby Gate

 

It is the little things that bring me to tears. I took the baby gate down today and put it away, this is the first time in 8 years I won't be walking over or moving a baby gate to get to a certain part of the house.

It has been a week and a day since we said goodbye to our beloved Maggie. We loved her more than I could put into words. That said, she wasn't the best dog by any stretch, hence the need for the baby gate. Maggie came to us when she was around 6 years old, she was a rescue and wasn't totally house trained. We found pretty quickly that her preferred place to go was on a rug or carpet. If she didn't have access to either she did pretty well.

It just became part of our lives, walking over or moving the baby gate. Yesterday, my girl commented that we didn't really need it anymore. I had spent the last week as I have for 8 years moving it to go upstairs...not thinking about it at all. This morning when I took it down and put it away. I became teary, then it occurred to me that we could also get an area rug for the living room, more tears.

Isn't it amazing how we make changes in our lives to accommodate our furry family members? I knew losing Maggie would be hard but I wasn't prepared to grieve her loss in some ways more than I have human loved ones. I have a great support system, who have assured me that what I am feeling is totally normal. The love we feel for them and they show in return is unconditional and pure without the complications of human relationships. Over the last week, I have thought so much about our time together. How much Maggie was there for me during some of the hardest times in my life. I was at my most vulnerable with her, she was there to comfort me without judgement. She was a loyal companion to both my girl and me, giving us so many happy memories.

In time we will think of her and those happy memories will make us smile, for now we are still grieving and adjusting to her not being here with us.