Almond Blossoms...Like A Kiss

Remembering Ditto Roberts April 1992-February 27, 2013

The sweet sweet fragrance of pink and white almond blossoms seemed to first brush up against my skin and then traveled past my lungs and deep into my heart as I ran yesterday.  I breathed deep and deeper to bring the fragrance in. It is my favorite smell of spring-- gentle and pure and immediately recognizable.

Earlier that morning, I had been given the name of a veterinarian who would come to the house to help Ditto on her way. She could no longer walk or hold herself up. It was time. The vet agreed to come to the house at 3:30 pm. I was running to keep my mind off the inevitable, not for exercise. But the blossoms ablaze around the lake made me so glad I had taken to the path again. February is almond blossom time.

When I got home, there she was, my Ditto, sitting in her recliner. "How ya doin' girl?" I bent down close to her...to gather in the fragrance like none other...her beautiful white fur. It was my favorite thing to do...rub my nose in her fur and drink in the sweet sweet smell that was her...me snuggled into the top of her head, kissing her head, smelling her smell.

During the last week of Ditto's time with us, it seemed I had done this hourly...so I would not forget...so that her smell would be implanted in my brain, my heart, my soul. For all time.

We buried Ditto in the back yard on February 27th 2013. Dave wrote on the box before we laid her in the ground. "Thank you Lord Jesus. We love you Ditto." I picked a daffodil from the yard and placed it on top of the box. We held hands, said a prayer and cried.

Ditto never caused us one single problem, she was stoic and capable

That night as I lay on the couch in the room with her now empty recliner, thinking of how lonely our home would be and yet how grateful I was for 21 years of her life with us, I remembered the almond blossoms today--God had given me a final gift of remembrance...Now, each spring when my senses meet up with the sweet pure fragrance of almond blossoms in the air, I will be kissing Ditto's head again, smelling the sweet pure fragrance of her fur, the scent which traveled deep into my heart.

If you have time, take a look at my earlier post about the bigger story--how Ditto came to be ours...it's in Februray Posts and is called, "Travels with Ditto". Thanks for listening.