Nellie, a collie mix stray that came to me on Thanksgiving morning, 1999. And she left us on April 8, 2011. When I knew she was going to be a part of our life, which didn’t take long, I tried to think of a name for her and my son suggested “Nellie”.

I looked at her and said yes, she looks like a Nellie. I found out that “Nellie” means sun ray or shining light. She certainly was that. A shining light in my life. From that point she was my dog, my canine companion, my best friend.

 I’m sure that to anyone else she looks like just another “dog”. But I can tell you I have never loved a canine companion more then Nellie. She was the epitome of what people think of when the collie breed comes to mind, but she was more then that. She was not just smart, Nellie was very intelligent. She had big beautiful sweet brown eyes that could speak to you, literally. She knew what I meant and I knew what she meant. She couldn’t talk but was able to “answer” my questions with gestures. She could make a gesture, see that I knew what her answer was, and from then on, if I asked the same question, she would “answer”. It usually only took her one or two times to catch on to what I meant. And it probably took me more to catch on to her, but she was always patient, knowing I eventually would. I don’t think I will ever get over the pain of losing her. Our whole family loved Nellie very much. We will miss her until we get to see her again.

Remembered, Never Forgotten.

A Parting Prayer

Dear Lord, please open your gates
to come escort this beloved companion
across the Rainbow Bridge.

Assign her to a place of honor,
for she has been a faithful servant
and has aways done her best to please me.

Bless the hands that send her to you,
for they are doing so in love and compassion,
freeing her from pain and suffering.

Give me the strength not to dwell on my loss.
Help me remember the details of her life
with the love she has shown to me.
And grant me the strength not to dwell on my loss.

Help me remember the details of her life
with the love she has shown me.
And grant me the courage to honor her
by sharing those memories with others.

Let her remember me as well
and let her know that I will always love her.
And when it’s my time to pass over into your paradise,
please allow her to accompany those
who will bring me home.

Thank you, Lord,
for the gift of her companionship
and for the time we’ve had together.
And thank you Lord, for granting me the strength
to give her to you now.

Amen.

With our love and deepest sympathy in the loss of your Nellie

Linda and Ed