Just a thought (by: Owen)

When is it in life that we get too busy for our friends or those who mean the most to us? This week my best friend (my dog) Duke died. You may be saying, "good grief, get over it". Well, the people who know me would be surprised how well I did deal with it. I had always planned on shooting Duke up in the mountains when he got to that stage in his life, because I wanted him to die happy. In the mountains with me is where he was happiest, but luckily for me, he went peacefully in my backyard on the grass, in the shade and under a bush. I hope we could all be so lucky. Duke's death is not what has been bothering me. Last week my family came down to the lake and camped. We all had a lot of fun and all the dogs got to enjoy the kids, the lake and all the extra scraps and attention. That is where my problem lies. I am a very motivated person who believes you figure out what you want and go out and get it. I put on a big fun trip for my family. I went through the motions of trying to show everyone I do care about them and I like to be around them and enjoy their company. When I called my dad to tell him about Duke, he said, "well I am glad I came down and got to see him. He was a great dog and I gave him a lot of attention and pet him." That is when I finally broke down and cried, because I took Duke to camp, which he loves, but I never stopped, not even for a second, to kneel down, hug him and scratch behind his ears. That's what Duke loved more then anything, me. My hug, my attention, me. It didn't matter where we were at, what we were doing. He always wanted to hand out with me. For the better part of ten years, his goal was to make me happy, to make me smile, to snuggle up to me, to comfort me, to walk with me, to protect me, to protect those most important to me and to love me unconditionally. Last week he wasn't feeling or looking well, I knew it and so did everyone else, and I didn't even take the time to scratch his belly and try to comfort him. When we went to bury Duke, my wife told me that the day Duke died she had noticed him sitting at the back window looking in the house for hours. She thinks he was waiting for me to get home to say goodbye. I found him fifteen minutes after I got home from work, he was still warm. He couldn't have been gone more then a half hour. I guess what I am trying to share with everyone is how lucky a man I am. What a wonderful family I have, who just like my dog, loves to be with me, to hug me, to walk with me, to snuggle me, to love me unconditionally and they are waiting at home for me. Am I going to miss them, am I going to be too late to kiss them good night, to see them grow up, to watch my son ride his bike, to have a tea party with Rylee, to tickle Kodi's belly, to hold Tylar or to snuggle my wife? I have my goals in sight and I am working dang hard to go and achieve them. Life is a goal and like any goal it is the journey that makes it great. Take time to make those who mean the most to you part of that journey, because if you think about it, they should be part of that goal you are shooting for. So slow down just a bit and take a minute to make those around you happy. Don't just tell your wife you love her, show her. Take her for a walk, watch a sunset, look up at the stars with your kids. What are your loved ones favorite things to do? Do you take the time to do it with them? I promise, if you take the time to show your love and make those that you love happy by taking the time to do what "they" love, you will be happier than you could ever hope for and your journey to your goal will be all the better. Thank you Duke for the journey, the memories and for showing me how to truly love someone.