The sign in front of Enzo’ Garage said “Closed for family obligation.” The doors and windows were locked but being an angel they proved little hindrance. I slipped into the garage. There were cars waiting to fixed, a bulletin board with my friends’ names next to said cars, oily rags and scattered tools laid on the ground, evidence of a hasty departure.
The garage is usually filled with activity: Dogs waiting for their rides to be fixed., gathered in groups, eating some of Tommy’s famous popcorn, enjoying beef pop, playing poker kibble. Soon Enzo will take a break, sitting and delighting our friends with stories about living on Enzo Mountain where the snow piles up over the house and even the trees freeze solid. If the sun is out and the snow still packed Enzo pulls out the hubcaps and the pups go sledding down the mountain. This room where they wait, it is called Friendship, and no dog had a room built stronger friendships than Enzo.
There is a door at the back of Friendship which leads to a long hallway. There are several rooms off the corridor. The first is the art room, also known as the room of Joy. This is where Enzo hangs all the wonderful drawings his Mom draws to make both us and our parents smile. There are drawings of Enzo playing in the snow, playing with his friends and just of his friends. I found a pen and paper and wrote Enzo’s Mom a note telling her how much we all love her paintings and I put my paw print of it so she would know it was from me.
The next door opened to the room of Faith. Enzo and his Mom have such wonderful faith. I look to them, and this faith during my darkest time. I envy their faith.. it helps see them through their darkest days and their faith helps guide us too. I scan the room hoping that Enzo and their Mom have visited this room lately. I am sure they need faith right about now.
Next to Faith is the room of Love. This is a very important room. Enzo’s Mom has reminded us of that this week. When you need to tell someone you love them, and you don’t have the words, come to this room in Enzo’s Garage, find the words, and tell the person or pup that you love them, because you never know when it is your last chance. So don’t forget to visit this most important room, and find the words to tell all those closes to you: “I love you.”
Then comes the room of Understanding. Enzo and his Mom always have great understanding for all of us. No matter how many silly things we do they understand. They seem to understand things we cannot. We hope they can understand what has happened. If they can’t, maybe they can learn something the next door down, in the room called Acceptance.
Way down, past other rooms, at the darkened end of the corridor, is the room that Enzo and his Mom have been locked in this past week, the room called Despair. Inside are many other smaller rooms: Confusion, Anger, and Heartbreak among them. Our friends have been in this room since Enzo’s Mom lost her human daughter this week. She was only granted a few years past 30 in this mortal realm. The order for crossing the River of Life should be: Pup, Mom, Child. When that order is broken the pain is overwhelming, so overwhelming that people get lost in the room of Despair and have a difficult time finding their way out.
Enzo and his Mom need our help to find their way out of the room of Despair. They need prayer, they need kindness, they need us all to stand, with lit candle in our hands in paws, in the corridor, and speak words of love and understanding, until they find their way out of the room of Despair, to the room of Acceptance and Understanding, then to the room of Love, then to the room of Faith, and then Joy and Friendship. It is a very hard corridor to navigate, and often after reaching a room a rogue wave of grief knocks them back to Despair, but I have to believe we can help them find their way out, because no one would try harder to lead us out of Despair than Enzo and his Mom.
Oh I am so sorry for Enzo and his mother. We are sending much love and support across the miles.
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