This is a vacation week for me, so I’m posting a little late today. Also, the post is a bit shorter than usual. I’ve had some time to think about love while traveling and also about our dog Maggie and how hard it is to leave her behind. Love is the thing that feeds our Spirit more than any other. I heard a sermon on love a long time ago, and it stuck with me. The speaker said there is only one “love.” The difference is in how it is expressed. I feel that at its best it comes from the heart of us. In our hearts it often feels the same – gentle, occasionally fierce, warm, companionable.
My husband and I have had pets throughout our marriage. We loved them and when the time came, we had to let them go. As most of you know, that is a hard “letting go,” but the love we received and gave is always there. When we are together with our grown children, the different pets that were part of our family through their childhood are often talked about with that special love and laughter that good memories endow. I’m glad that we still have Maggie at home.
Many aging adults go through loneliness and isolation at times. Pets may help. A University of Michigan study, reported by AARP, found that thinking skills declined more slowly in older adults who owned pets, especially those who had owned them for five years or more. The researchers say more study is needed. Pet owners also say that their pets add a sense of purpose and routine to their days, and walking and caring for them leads to more exercise. I’ve also read that dog owners tend to live longer, and while research shows a link rather than proof, I can say from my own experience that the walks and the companionship mean a great deal.
Unfortunately, the overall costs related to pet ownership have gone up, and I know from discussions I see in various media and personal experience that many seniors are on a budget that doesn’t flex much. I’ve heard of a few organizations that assist with this. One I saw online is the Pets for the Elderly Foundation, a national group that helps cover shelter adoption fees for seniors. Local shelters and humane societies may also offer help, such as pet food banks, so it is worth asking in your area.
The poet Mary Oliver authored a beautiful book named Dog Songs about pets she had owned. I’m by no means a Mary Oliver, but I wrote the following poem a few years ago after walking our aging boxer, Roxy.
A Walk with Roxy
The park is hot,
So still
Not humid, thank God,
I say
The leaves quiver,
shiver
There’s some welcome air,
I praise.
The pace is slow,
halting
Not giddy enough,
You sigh
On we go,
aged ladies
Linked by a loose leash
And love