Mr. Jake Ob

Mr. Jake Ob was the sweetest, most gentle, and loving dog I've ever met. He could never harm a fly, although he tried, he was usually too slow. A beast of a dog, when people met him they usually said, "He's not a dog, he's a horse!" The funny thing is, he never let anyone ride him! Shawn would joke that he was going to charge the neighborhood kids for rides on Jake's back... boy would they have been disappointed.

Jake had been steadily declining over the last several weeks. Finally unable to stand, we decided it was time to take him for one last car ride. He left us too young, he would have been 8 years old in December. My house is not the same without him. His bed is still in the living room where he camped out every day, but he's not there. There will be one less body snoring in our bedroom tonight. I'll miss him tilting his head and looking curiously at the television when the theme for 3rd Rock From the Sun comes on. I'll miss his happy face greeting me at the door when I come home from a long day at work.

Jakie, I know you're better where you are. I'll be dreaming of you playing ball, chewing on sticks that are too big for you, and hearing your tail whap the floor as you wag it. Mommy loves you buddy. You're sorely missed.

In loving memory of Jake Ob Abbott
December 30, 2000 - November 15, 2008

beaten, battered, and worn

The dark, short days of fall and winter are here, and along with them come a certain expectation that I will be feeling a little blue. However, I seem to be hitting a point in time where most everything is going poorly. It seems the saying, "when it rains, it pours" certainly applies at the moment. Ha ha, I almost feel as if my life is a country song! Maybe I should play it in reverse... then I'll get my dog back, my car back, my woman back! (oh my!)

Seriously though, I'm feeling like the title of this post, "beaten, battered, and worn." How long must this go on? After brief reflection, I believe that part of how I'm feeling is my own doing. Maybe its time for a reality check, a come to Jesus with myself.