Merry Christmas, Sweet Rain, Merry Christmas. . .

This year we got you a wonderful, well deserved, extra large, therapeutic dog bed from Orvis, and we even got it monogrammed just for you, our good, good boy.

In your almost 11 years of life you have been our extraordinary companion. You were a part of our family before I was. Erik bought you the year before we were married. He bought you, he says, because I wanted a dog terribly, and I knew that my Dad would not let me have one while I lived at home. But, I believe that Erik had selfish motives in buying you, as well. That is if you call desiring companionship selfish ~ which really that isn't selfish at all. He bought you, and for one year the two of you were bachelors together. And, Erik loved you well ~ and disciplined you well, too, I might add. And, that is why you are the kind hearted, well behaved dog that you are today.

So, a year after Erik brought you home, he married me and brought me home to live with the two of you. You graciously accepted me into the family. Mainly because Erik was in the middle of residency, and I spent the most time with you. We got along well ~ except maybe for the time when you ate my favorite pair of Birkenstocks. I woke up one morning only to find pieces of that cork like substance all over the bedroom floor. And, I remember rolling over the other way thinking to myself, "Well, the honeymoon is over. . ."

But, it didn't take long for the three of us to become inseparable. When we moved to Florida for Erik's fellowship, we specifically looked for a place to rent that would allow us to keep you. We were not about to get rid of our big 75 pound baby! We found a place with a tiny little strip of land the owner called a backyard, but since he was okay with us bringing you along, we took it.

A year later we moved to the small town in the country that we still call home today. I'll never forget the day we moved in! We got you out of the car and set you free to run on our new 7 acre home! I took a picture of you that day as you ran and ran like a crazy dog!! But, as much as you love to run, you are an indoor dog through and through, a big, spoiled baby. You only go out for a few walks a day, and if your paws get the least bit dirty, we clean them for you upon your reentry to our home.

You were our first baby.

But, a year and a half after we moved you to the country, we rocked your world once again. We brought sweet Joshua home to live with us. And, you handled the transition beautifully. You loved our baby, and you still love him and his little brothers, too.

Well, you tolerate them anyway.

Sometimes, I think I see you roll your sweet doggy eyes when they try to climb on your back or pull your long velvety ears. Erik and I laugh each time we bring another little one home to you. We usually say to each other what we think you must be thinking. . .

"Another kid, are you people kidding me? You're killing me. A dog can only take so much."

But, in reality, you have handled each new transition with grace. You have come to realize that if only you will be patient, the babies grow up to be quite generous with their food. You no longer sit by Erik and I during dinner. You position yourself strategically beneath the highchair because you know that this is where the food will fall.

I love you, Rain. I hope you know that. We have spent nearly every waking moment together for years on end. And, because of that, you are sort of a part of me. I know that I get frustrated with you when you bark uncontrollably at a bird flapping her wings across the street during nap time. But, truly, I adore you.

You are to me companionship, security, and comfort. You are companionship because in some sort of strange way you are like having another adult in the house on those long afternoons when I count down the hours until Erik gets home. You are my floppy eared friend. You are security because in as much as I hate your bark when it threatens to wake my little ones, it also gives me peace of mind that you are on guard and ready to protect our family. You are comfort to me at the end of the day when I sit on the couch, talk to my sweet husband, and pet your soft silky fur.

Thanks, Rain, our good, good boy. Thanks for putting up with us all these years.

I hope you love your new bed, sweet boy. Enjoy!