Today, fill your cup of life with sunshine and laughter.
~Dodinsky


02 October 2006

FOR THE MAIN FEATURE OF THE DAY, FOLKS, PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT POST DOWN ...

Please disregard this. I am inundated with misery today, and I need somewhere to put all these negative thoughts before I explode with them. Why do bad things happen in bunches, when so often we have so long to wait for the good things?

This weekend, my good friend Erica, who is the art teacher at my school, was away visiting with friends. Some disgruntled students decided it would be fun to break into her studio apartment and trash the place. They broke down the front door, entered her private home, and proceeded to tear the place apart. In the process, they destroyed 7+ years of her creative life, including works in progress and thousands of dollars of art supplies. To add insult to injury, they then decided to eat her food and drink her liquor, having themselves a little party before decamping. Erica is new to the area and, although this is not her first teaching assignment, it is her first year in this particular community. She was in the midst of setting up a showing for the end of October, a principal source of income for her. This, boys and girls, is one of the downsides of teaching. I cannot begin to express my grief for this talented young artist, nor my disbelief and disenchantment at the identities of the young offenders.

Last night, my darling dog, Mandy, my guardian angel, passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was my protector and my comfort for so long, I cannot imagine what the past 11 years would have been like without her. She was my very best friend, and right now, I am feeling a bit lost and bewildered. Now, at the end of a long and ugly day, I must go home and find words of comfort for my son and my other dog when I truly feel, maybe for the first time in my life, that there is no comfort to be given. Perhaps we can never hope for better than what we live, day to day, and maybe survival is what it's all about. I don't know any more.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope they catch the intrudrs and make their parents (if they are minors) or them pay for all damages. I know it will not replace tings lost, but it does teach a lesson these young thugs need to learn.

So sorry about Mandy. Losing a pet can be very trumatic...so sorry

Anonymous said...

My poor Coco - you and your friend are in my prayers.

Dana

Rainbow said...

Coco - I feel so badly for your friend! Kids can be so cruel!
AWWWW you lost your dog...I am so so sorry. I look at Scarlett everyday and wonder how much longer she will be with me. The pain of losing a pet is so great. You and Ben are in my prayers.
Love,
Sue

Anonymous said...

Hang in there, my dear. A run of misfortune must always be balanced by a run of better days.

**hugs**

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry about your friend. As art is essentially irreplaceable it is such a cruel crime.

And I am truly so sorry about you losing your dog, Mandy. I know the amazing gift that the absolute unconditional love of a dog can be and I too have relatively recently experienced losing a sweet friend. I only had to deal with my own grief. Can't imagine how hard it would be to explain to your son and deal with it. My thoughts are with you.

Anonymous said...

Angry is not the word that I should use to describe what happened to your friend. At this time, I cannot think of a word. But, IMHO... those juvenile deliquents should be punished to the fullest extent of Canadian law! The thought of someone coming into MY HOME and destroying MY THINGS... just really gets my blood to boil What right do these children have... NONE! No one has the right to enter and take what does not belong to them! I could go on, but I won't. Just remember your friend is in my prayers and thoughts.

As for Mandy... I too know the heartache of loosing a family pet. We had a dog, a Springer Spaniel, Splash, for 15 years... and the day she passed was one of the worst days of my life. It's almost like loosing a family member... well it is a family member... Our whole entire family cried for 3 days when she died. I feel for you!

Love you and HUGS!!!

Lee Ann

Anonymous said...

I told you about my dog a few weeks back and you know how upset I was and shes ok now. Pets aren't just animals. They are parts of our families so give yourself and your kids time to grieve. And Coco honey, never lose hope for anything. Life is so much more than survival. If it wasn't I'd just be a talking head and I'm so much more than that..and sor u!

Anonymous said...

Mandy....she came and she gave without taking. Keep talking about her, honey. It's the only way to heal. My grief of losing my dog superseded grief of my daddy's passing. But I know daddy understood. He always said that he wanted to be a collie.

About Erica...art, music, writing....all the creative heartwrenching pasttimes...those children WILL pay...somehow.

Hugs to both you and Erica.

Julie

Anonymous said...

:(

So sorry for you and for your friend coco.......

Love-
Lynn

Anonymous said...

Coco honey.

My heart goes out to you. To lose a beloved member of the family, whether they walk on two legs or four, is the hardest part of our existance. I hope you can find some solace in the fact that she knew she was well loved. Dogs don't live to be that old if they're miserable and abused. You obviously gave her a good and loving home.

I'm sorry about your friend's art. I can't relate, but I can empathize. I can only imagine what would happen if someone tore up all of the writing I've done over the last twenty years (and it's not even a source of income for me).

Allow us to comfort you. Lean on us. We're here.

PS - Sorry I'm so far behind. It's been a tough week with work.

Coco said...

Thank you all, my dear friends, for your kind and loving words of comfort. An update: Brennan and Daisy seem to have begun to come to terms with the loss of our beautiful Mandy. Daisy, in particular, is enjoying all the love and attention we are lavishing on her as an "only dog" now.

Charges have been laid against two high school students who were observed breaking into the art teacher's home last weekend. Charges are pending against three others who were "bystanders". All five have been suspended indefinitely from school, although word has it they will be returning to us after next week. Erica has begun to create again, and is currently working on a series of portraits of my son. And that's about it. Have a great weekend, y'all.

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