I Believe in Angels #6 - Final

 This entry has a title: Mr. W. and the Angels

As I stated in my prior post, I thought that my Tuesday, July 23rd visit at the care center would probably be the last. On Saturday, July 27th that was confirmed along with my absolute belief in angels. 

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Saturday, July 27th

When I went down the hallway to his room and the cart with notes, treats, and white board were no longer outside his door, I knew that Mr. W.'s journey here on earth had come to an end and his new journey had begun.  I just did not know when he passed, and mommy wondered if it might have been on Thursday, July 25th.  Here's why.

On Thursday, the 25th, I woke up in the middle of the night and started playing with the covers, dancing and rolling over on the bed. (I sleep with mommy and daddy in their bed.) When mommy looked at the clock, it was 1:30 AM; we had gone to bed three hours earlier.  She said, "Zoe, go to sleep; what’s wrong with you?"  I jumped off of the bed, started running as if someone were playing chase with me; picking up my favorite squeaky toy, I started to squeak my toy and run zoomies around the house. Then I ran outside through my doggie door with my toy. I squeaked it a few times and sat on the edge of the patio waiting and staring toward a tree in the far corner of the yard.  Mommy called me a few times, but I just sat there. “Zoe, get in here." After one final look, I came into the house, and she secured the doggie door after me. I dropped my toy in the house, looked toward the door one more time then at mommy as if to say, "Well, did you see? We can go to sleep now."  Mommy wondered what had caught my attention and brought me such excitement and joy in the middle of the night.

Here's where the story comes full circle.  As we were leaving the facility on Saturday, the 27th, we passed the admitting office and mommy asked when Mr. W. had passed.  The answer - Thursday, the 25th.

Mr. W., Mommy and me on our first visit - July 2, 2013.*

My time with Mr. W. had been short - I met him for the first time on July 4^th, and I grew to know and love him with each subsequent visit. I ‘visited’ with him for the last time on Thursday, July 25^th.  Thank you, Mr. W. for coming to say goodbye and play with me that night.

* Photo authorization given by Mr. W.'s daughter, Susan W. T.

I Believe in Angels #5

My last visit with Mr. W. was made on July 23, 2013.  

I still think about my last visit with Mr.W and appreciate the visits we had.

 Although everything looked the same from the hallway: the cart with treats, the white board, the open door, the darkened room with a drawn curtain - today’s visit was different.   Mr. W. was lying in bed and not sitting in his chair. When mommy gently moved the curtain, I did not run into the room as I had done before. I just walked in slowly, sat down and didn’t move.  Mr. W’s daughter who had been standing near her dad with her back toward us, turned and said, “It’s not a good time for a visit.”  So, we quietly left his room, went past the nurses' station and sadly continued our visits with other patients.  When we walked out of the second room, Mr. W.’s daughter was waiting for us.  She had been crying and said, “My dad would not have appreciated your visit today, Zoe. He…doesn’t…he…”   No more words were spoken; our eyes spoke for us.

 Mommy picked me up and  Mr. W.’s daughter hugged both of us and said, “Thank you for visiting my dad.” We knew then that Mr. W.’s earthly journey would be ending soon and that this most likely would be our last earthly visit with him and his wonderful family.  

Mommy and I left the care center that Tuesday afternoon with heavy hearts but wonderful memories of the kind, gentle man we fondly called, Mr. W..

 

I Believe in Angels #4

Visit #4 This visit was actually made on July 16, 2013

 

Riding home in the car that day was very sad.  I knew my time with Mr. W. would be ending soon.

Outside his room was a cart with cookies, ice water, snacks and a white board. Scrawled across the top of the board were the  words  “ Going Home” and in different color markers in a variety of printing and cursive were notes from family and friends with messages dedicated to Mr. W. - the man I had only met 12 days ago ago, but somehow learned to love.  There was an unexplainable joy that I felt in his presence. On my prior visit, Mr. W.’s family was making the difficult decision concerning hospice care, so  I was not sure what today’s visit would hold.

The door was open, but the curtain was drawn and the room was dark.  Mommy thought it best to ask the nurse if was ok for us to visit.  She said, “Absolutely.”   We walked into the room slowly and found Mr. W. asleep in his recliner with his daughter and son-in-law by his side.  His daughter nodded and motioned that it was ok to interrupt the quiet of the room.  His daughter said, “Dad, Zoe’s here to visit.”  Slowly Mr. W. opened his eyes.  The change in Mr. W’s energy level and strength was truly significant, but when his eyes focused on me, my tail was waggling and his smile lit up the room.  He took his hand from under the covers and mommy put me next to him so he could pet and cuddle with me.  Then mommy held my paws as Mr. W. leaned his head forward toward me.  I knew what he wanted, and I was very gentle with a light kiss on his head.  Although he could barely speak, I knew what he was whispering, so did mommy.  She put me on the floor, and I did all of my tricks, saving my salute for last.  Mr. W. and his daughter clapped.  Then he held out his hand and mommy gave him a treat to give to me.  Of course, I was ever so grateful.  Before we left his room, mommy told him about my new trick that wasn’t quite yet perfected, but we could give it a try if he wanted.  He nodded.  So, mommy told me this sequence:  “Zoe down.”  I did it.  .”Zoe, cross your paws.”  What? She repeated it.  I not only crossed my paws, but I also put my head down as if in prayer.  Mr. W. smiled again.  We went to his side, and he nuzzled my face one more time before we went on to see other patients.

As we were leaving the care center, we went past Mr. W.s room and I got to write a note on the white board: