Monday, October 24, 2022

Foley Presents Great Foleys in History

 

One of the advantages of being at the Bridge is I can visit with the Foleys who came before me and helped make me a perfect dog.

 

Many Foleys lived quiet lives, but a few left as much of a mark as I did. 

 

One of the most memorable Foleys was from Edinburgh. She was the sole companion of the town doctor. Her Dad would go into the hospital each morning, and Foley would follow and wait for her Dad to come out.

 

One day inside the hospital, while Foley waited, his Dad had a massive heart attack and crossed over. His coworkers realized that Foley was still waiting outside. They tried to move her, but she bit and snapped at them. She was adamant she was going to wait for her Dad.  

 

When the Doctor began to cross the Bridge to the immortal world, he caught a glimpse of Foley waiting for him at the hospital reflected in the water. He realized she would stay forever. It was the least he could do to join her. He turned away from the Bridge and went to the hospital to be with Foley,

 

Foley was so happy to see her Dad that it didn’t register that he was a ghost. He thought about taking her home, but the landlord would lease it to someone else, and she would have no human to care for her. He knew his coworkers took delight in seeing Foley and would feed her, but he also knew the stubborn dog wouldn’t go home with anyone but him.

 

He was right. Foley got fed, brushed, scratched, and patted on her head. But she would not leave her Dad, who was sitting on the bench nearby, invisible to all except her.

 

Occasionally Foley‘s Dad tried to get her to move, but he had trouble going with her because the more he used his ghost power, the more energy he lost; finally, he told her they would leave when she was ready.

 

So that is where they stayed for 12 years. Waiting outside a hospital gave Foley the best medical care, and people would visit her with food and snacks as her legend grew. No matter what the weather, Foley never left that spot.

 

Finally, the day when Foley was ready arrived, she looked at her Dad, then signaled it was time. Her father knew the way. They went into the river, came up in the river of life, and happily crossed together to great fanfare because theirs was one of the most fabulous dogs and man love stories ever. 

 

The city built a statue of Foley to remember her and her devotion. In the spirit world, the angels erected an invisible-to-the-mortal-eye statue of her Dad, symbolizing their dedication. 

 

They still walk through the fields at the Bridge. Sometimes I see them in the early morning, and they are never apart.

 

She was indeed one of the great Foleys in history.

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