Goodbye Gibbes

It may seem a little strange for me to be blogging about this. But if you've ever cared about someone so much, that your heart aches for them when they are hurting, you will understand why I am writing this post.

Anyone who knows my dear friend Shelley (one of the Fab Five from college), knows that she is a dog lover. And I don't mean she thinks they are cute, she LOVES dogs. She loves the way their ears smell, loves big dogs, little dogs, loves their kisses, loves them. When we graduated from college, Shelley moved to Charleston to begin her nursing career and start her post-college life without knowing anyone. So the first thing she did was get a dog. While walking her new puppy Lucy, she met another puppy named Gibbes and soon fell in love with him and his owner Brian. Shelley and Brian got married and Gibbes was no longer just Brian's, he was Shelley's too. I have always felt that the two dogs were responsible for bringing them together.

Gibbes was the sweetest golden retriever and always had a knack for knowing who was most allergic (me) to his long coat! He always wanted to snuggle and be petted and even though he made me sneeze and made my eyes itch, I couldn't resist giving him some love. Maddie got to meet him and Lucy in February when we visited and she continues to talk about Lourdes' dogs "Gibbes the big dog" and "Lucy, the little dog" long after our visit.

Recently, Gibbes became sick and on Saturday Shelley sent me a text saying that Gibbes was gone. I was totally caught off guard and started to cry. Maddie was very concerned and asked what was wrong. So I had to explain to her that Gibbes got sick and he went to sleep forever and is now in doggie heaven. She kept saying things like, "Mommy, Gibbes can be okay, I will give him a doggie lollipop and he can be okay." Then she'd ask, "Mommy, where doggie heaven? Where Gibbes? Gibbes is sick Mommy?" I knew Shelley wasn't up for talking, so I called Jennie (another fab fiver) and when she answered, she was crying too. We were both so sad for our friend.

So, in summary, the reason for this post is twofold. First, it was a significant moment in Maddie's life, because other than explaining that Daddy had to kill a mouse in the garage, it was the first time I had to explain death to her. It was kind of hard. What does an almost 3 year-old understand about something so abstract? What should she be told at this age? What was so sweet was the matter-of-fact outlook she had, but also the concern that she showed. And I know that Lourdes is helping Shelley and Brian get through this with the same simple outlook and concern.

The other significant thing was that it made me realize what an amazing friendship and bond the five of us share. Our friend's happiness is our happiness, and her sadness is our sadness.

So Gibbes, Roo, Gibbedaboo, Roo Roo, I know I speak for Maddie and the other girls....we will miss you! And we love you Shelley!