My Maggie-Joy.  Ten pounds of boundless, endless energy, with huge, sparkling dark eyes, longish droopy ears, a long, lean body, and short stubby legs just perfect for hiding in tunnels or caves.

I have had Maggie-Joy for four years now, and she couldn't possibly bring me more joy.  She is a clown in a canine body, and she would do everything in her power to make me laugh or smile (which she often does).

Maggie-Joy cme into my life when my own life threatened to abandon ship.  I had just lost my little boy, Micah, to complications stemming from cerebral palsy.  He was only four when he died.  He couldn't walk or talk or do anything; we had to take care of his every need around the clock, twenty-four hours a day, when the institution he was at was forced to close because of drastic budget cutbacks. 

He had been placed there when he was a baby because my husband (my first one) couldn't cope with his hanidcaps.  Needless to say, I got tired of Adam's cavalier attitude, so I left him; I remerried two years ago, and my new hsuband was the one who suggested we get Micah out of there and take care of him here at home.  That is exactly what we did.  Then he got sick, and he really never recovered; eventually he died. 

Our world threatened to end right then, but then Marty (my second husband) suggested we get a dog to take some of the sadness away.  Enter Maggie-Joy.  While our dog and the love we feel for her will never take away the empty void in our lives completely, she has, on the other hand, make the grieving process a lot more easier to bear, especially on holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving, or on the anniversary of Micah's birth (and death).

Maggie-Joy is a bundle of kinetic energy, doggie-style.  She loves nothing more than cuddling next to us on long, cold autumn (or winter) nights, and look outside as the northern lights dance across the nigthtime, star-studded sky, playing with her chew toys or filling herself up with doggie treats, playing with our two remaining children (Rheese and Shaoshannah), barking at the cat or neighborhood dogs, just to show them who's boss (she thinks she's part pit bull! LOL), and sleeping for a good part of the day.

I just wish that Micah were here to enjoy Maggie-Joy.  I am sure he would have loved her as much as we do.  I am sure that they would have ended up being the best of friends.

*to be continued.*