Peco and the Hard Part

 

Sometimes surviving is harder than passing over the Bridge.

 

    Three years ago, Tommy's mom passed, leaving him heartbroken. She left her most cherished possession with him, her darling dog Peco Dee.

 

    In the beginning, it was hard for both of them as they tried to find their particular way through grief. Then they learned to walk it together, to help each other over the rough passages, until they came out the other side, no longer brothers, but as father and son.

  

    Peco was a well-known pup on social media. He began his own Facebook page, called Dog Euphoria, and drew 14,500 friends. He began posting while his mom was alive, and when she passed, her Dad Tommy continued doing so. Every day, Peco brought needed smiles to people, even if it was just a picture of his sweet face.

 

    When his mom passed, Peco was anxious to follow her into the dark, but his mom visited him in his dreams and said as much as she missed him, she wanted him to stay to help her son deal with grief. Peco was, above all else, a good boy, and he decided to stay with Dad Tommy until he was no longer needed. But, a dog like Peco is never not needed

 

    Because he loved Dad Tommy and was sworn to do what kept his mom happy, when Peco got sick, he tried to hide it from Dad Tommy, but his Cushing's disease grew worse. Dad Tommy did everything humanly possible to make Peco comfortable, fed, and warm as he battled the Dark Angels trying to send him to the Bridge, but you can only hold them off for so long. One day this week, snuggled on his Dad's lap, Peco drew his last mortal breath, taking himself and the part of his mom she gave him,  away from his shattered Dad.

 

At the Bridge there was a glorious reunion between Peco and his mom. He sped across the Bridge in the body of his one-year-old self, and, despite the thousands of dogs who had gathered to greet him, he ran right for his mom, jumped in her arms, and snuggled up on her shoulder. They stayed there, reveling in their common touch, breathing in their scents, stopping and looking at one another, trying to determine if this was real or a dream, and excited, with each passing second, to know this was reality  After three long years, The Peco and his mom were reunited.

 

Their thoughts were with the survivor, Daddy Tommy,  now without a mother or a best friend who he did everything with. We mourn those who pass, but sometimes we should mourn those who don't. For mother and dog, the pain is gone, but it is fresh and real for the survivors.

After Peco's welcoming celebration, he and his mom opened up to Euphoria City, a place where all pets are welcome. Peco was immediately made Mayor, and his mom Queen Mother. Sadly, Euphoria will rapidly grow; locations aren't new at the Bridge for long.

 

They wish Tommy could witness them together and see that they are happy. I know it would help him with his grief. And they could tell him about the bright future in front of him. But for now, they have to help him escape from the world of grief, which he is now walking alone.

That is why surviving is the worst.