Willow

With the passing of Gma, one of things that had to be discussed was Willow, her sweet terrier companion and steadfast friend. But, there wasnt much discussion because my best friend Loretta, who had been keeping her since mid August stepped up and said, "You know, I just knew I was going to end up with her and I want to keep her." So, there it was. Willow would be an Austin dog (lucky thing). In the last days of Gma's life much was said about Willow. Grandma asked about her several times a day, "What is Willow doing," "Tell me about Willow in Austin," and "Call Loretta and ask about Willow" was commonplace. Grandma had taken on Willow after Gpa's death as the last connection to him. Gma was worried what would happen to Willow and wanted money to be left for her care. As such, a trust fund was set up and even my horrible Aunt agreed. So, LoLo is now a trust fund baby.

12 year old Willow now has a new lease on life. She acts like a puppy, jumping around for walks and dinner, jumping on the couch and snuggling next to Loretta. She wears a thunder-shirt when it rains and is held by Loretta to ease the leftover fears. She goes to work at WaterLoo Counseling Center where Loretta is the Executive Director about 2X a week. She even has an office chair and a sign in. She does races (as per the picture) and had dog friends who she says hi to on walks. She eats frozen green beans as treats and snores. She is such a blessing to Loretta and I, but specifically to Loretta who got the chance to have a dog, a GOOD dog, who absolutely adores her. Dont get me wrong, she still loves her GiGi, but she is a Loretta dog now.

I feel so lucky to have a friend like Loretta who so willingly took on the task. My whole family is thankful, but most of all, I think Willow is.