Jack

You can give way to the grief — or you can give thanks that you loved enough to grieve. — Ann Voskamp

There are no words I can think of that will be enough to describe our heartache or what Jack meant to us. I’m so sorry, I know this is hard because you loved him, too.

So many of you were a part of his life for the past 13 years. Whether you knew Jack in real life or just through his adventures shared here on the blog and his social media, he made us all laugh.

My sister has always said she loved that Jack put this whole self into his bark and that really was true of his approach to everything he did. He wasn’t just there, he was fully present and engaged in every part of our day and our family’s life.

Whether he was taking the starfish from my garland or sneaking the ornaments off our Christmas tree or stealing napkins off people’s laps, he certainly kept us on our toes. He was always the life of the party! But it was clear his antics weren’t just to be naughty, he loved to make people laugh and wanted to engage with them. But if you didn’t notice or pay attention to what he had in his mouth, he would drop it. He was just as happy to sit by your side and rest his head on your lap.

Jack created connections in many ways so you always knew you were loved. He loved to watch TV shows with the family (especially dog shows) and would always sit right between us on the couch. Every morning I could count on Jack to be the first to greet me — even if he was asleep he would open his eyes as I walked by and reach his paw up from his bed to shake my hand.

He would never go off to be alone, he was determined to be right where people were and wanted to be a part of every experience. He loved to ride in the car (and comfort Lily on the drive) and go for walks in the forest or beach or anywhere his family was.

Jack was there to get us through loss and there for us in hard times and created memories in happy times.

He warmly welcomed every new member to the family over the past 13 years, from spouses to babies to puppies, he loved everyone well.

Even in his final hours though he didn’t have the strength to get up, walk or even bark, when our kids and grandson came through the door to see him, his eyes lit up, he pulled his head up to greet them and wagged his tail.

Our kids were his greatest joy and he wanted them to know how much they were loved. And in return, they loved him deeply and made sure he knew it right to the end.

We are thankful God brought Jack into our family and let us experience this love. I wish with my whole heart that he could’ve stayed with us longer, we all miss him more than we can express. There have been so many tears. But I am grateful for him and all of the seasons we had together. He impacted our lives in ways we will never forget.

Through his thirteen years Jack taught us how to live life to the full. He made the most of every experience! He showed us how to feel and show love more fully, to go out of our way to create connections, to make fun memories, to embrace everyone, to be by each other’s side on good and bad days. He reminded us that times of laughter and sorrow are a part of living a full and meaningful life and that faithfully being there for each other through it all matters.

We are heartbroken — but we know we feel this loss so deeply because Jack loved us deeply and we loved him. We’re thankful for that.

Thank you for loving him and Lily, too.