Grief
It had been so long; I had forgotten how painful it was…….
11 years ago, Sumer bought me my favorite birthday present ever. He was 6 weeks old and the cutest puppy I had ever seen. I still remember the day we brought him home. He left his family to join ours and spent the next few months chewing on our furniture, standing on the dishwasher door when it was down and tormenting our other dog who didn’t care for a new brother. He was so cute and playful, great with the kids and very protective of his family.
Just like my kids growing up, it seemed like only a moment passed and he was 11. Years of playing in the yard, walks around the neighborhood and nights of him waking me in the middle of the night with that sound like he is about to throw up, which woke me up in a second from a deep sleep.
Great memories, like the time he jumped against the fence when people were walking by and scared them to death. When he bit the neighbor’s finger and it got infected on his cruise. When the golfer thought he could retrieve his golf ball from the back yard until he saw a Rottweiler coming out to greet him.
We named him Pride, he was our second dog. Envy was our first. We were going for a 7 deadly sins theme, but the other names just don’t work for dogs. I just can’t hear myself saying “Here Gluttony, come here boy”. He was a good dog and a good family member. He wasn’t the friendliest to people coming into his house, especially as he got older. But if he loved you, he would do anything for you.
11 years to the month, we had to put him down. He broke his leg chasing a rabbit that he never could have caught. The X rays showed cancer in his leg and lungs. I hadn’t had to hold a dog of mine being put down since I was 17; Both times tore me up inside!
It’s been 2 months and it still hurts, I guess it always will. I have pictures and memories and those will have to do I guess, but it still sucks.
I’m sad because I lost my friend, but the grief is only there because I loved him so much, and I’m thankful to have had him in my life.
Go for the love, it’s worth the grief…..it really is.
COVID
Friends,
In this time of uncertainty and stress, I am reaching out to wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and to share a bit of joy and luck. I wanted to share with you a Limerick that we found appropriate.
May these walls be filled with laughter,
May it reach from floor to rafter.
May the roof keep out the rain,
May sunshine warm each window pane,
And may the door be open wide to let immeasurable love inside!
As you all know, a home is so much more than floors, walls and ceilings. It is your sanctuary and a safe haven. It is your refuge and retreat.
Our area, as well as the world, is facing a lot right now, with closed schools and college students coming home, cancelled meetings and events and a lot of panic and worry.
During this time, I want to encourage everyone to be there for each other and for your neighbors. Check on those who are the most vulnerable and may need to have errands run or groceries delivered.
Be smart and cautious for your family, but support small businesses and all businesses in any way that you can. This is a great time to purchase gift certificates to use later if you don’t want to shop now. When avoiding crowds, order takeout from your favorite restaurants.
Spend more time outside and reconnect with your families. Don’t just watch movies and disconnect.
Please also know that this is the time when those in need will suffer the most. When schools close, children who count on school meals go without. Many seniors will need to stay home and cannot go to the store. If any of you know families who are in need, please reach out so that we can help. If you can donate to those in need, please do what you can.
We are here to do anything that we can to help, so please use us as a resource or a connection to local resources. This is not the time to panic, but it is time to prepare and be thoughtful of those who are most vulnerable.
We will all get through this with love, support and compassion for each other.
Marjorie, Jacques, Brittney, Bethanny and Kaile
Daily Gratitude
December 2017
Recently, coach Rick Ruby with the CORE had given me a Gratitude journal with a message that “being in gratitude will change how you see things and how you respond to them.” He challenged me to write in the journal – at least three things – that I am grateful for each day. Without over thinking, I entered my first three journal entries:
I am grateful for my daughter, my family, and my team.
I am grateful for my health and the choice to improve my health.
I am grateful for my business, my amazing clients, the new clients referred to us daily, the influence of the CORE on my business, and the relationships I have with my clients.
As I closed the journal I thought, “This is easy, I could list a few hundred things very quickly!” The truth is we all can. Then life hits us right in the face and finding the three minutes each day needed to write in the journal becomes a task. I learned that being grateful isn’t always easy.
Cut off in traffic… chewed out by a disgruntled customer… missed a deadline… lost a competition and self-doubt, pity and negative thinking takes a hold of me. There are plenty of things happening daily that seem to make it a challenge to be grateful.
Yet in these tough moments, we discover what we are made of. We learn. We grow. We find a different way. We forgive. We say we are sorry. We keep going.
“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger than your current situation.”
~ Brian Tracy
The harder it feels to do it, the more important it is to express gratitude. Right now – reflect on a difficult time in your past that resulted in something bigger and better further down the road.
Stay in gratitude! When we are in gratitude, we won’t be complaining, angry, or short, but rather at peace in the toughest of situations.
I love being your realtor and your friend.
“Learn to be thankful for what you already have while you pursue all that you want” – Jim Rohn
A Real Hero
September 21
A real hero…
I was driving to my office last month and the car in front of mine had “Medal of Honor” license plates. I thought to myself, I have to meet this guy.
He turned into my office complex and parked in front of a rehab center in a building adjacent to mine. I pulled up behind him and waited until he stepped out of his car. I told him that I had seen his license plate and wanted to meet in person and shake his hand. He smiled and introduced himself and said that the “plates” were nice because they were free.
I told him that I have had the honor of working with families of three other Medal of Honor recipients in my career but I had never actually met one in person. I asked him if he was in Vietnam and what he did there. He shrugged and told me that he was a “Dust-off” pilot. I have met several Dust-off pilots and had them as clients. It turned out that we had some mutual acquaintances. Those guys are a special breed of cat.
We chatted for a few minutes. I thanked him for his time and his service to our country and hustled back to my office to look him up on the internet. He was the first “Dust-off” pilot to be awarded the MOH. In one day, he flew three different helicopters on five separate missions, each under intense enemy fire and rescued 51 soldiers. “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty” the Medal of Honor was awarded to Maj. Patrick Brady. He later retired as a Maj. General.
Tiger Woods wears Patrick Brady pajamas to bed at night.
Regards,
Dayton Schrader
P.S. If you can read this…thank a teacher. If you can read this in English…thank a soldier.