I’m Your Huckleberry Friend

Written By: Lorna Alexander | Issue: 2020/10 - October

All of you who know me, know of my beloved White Labrador Retriever Maisie, who recently transitioned beyond the “Rainbow’s End,” waitin’ ‘round the bend.

Today is the one month anniversary of the day that I lost her and for a time, (and still) it felt as though my life had ended, too. Loss has taught me so many things and now I face each day with many happy memories which will help me along the way.

We share such a strong bond with our special furry friends, and a large part of our grieving is because when they pass, they carry away with them so many years of our own lives.

My life with Maisie was so colorful, vibrant and full of great adventure…and laughter. Pure joy and discovery was precisely what we were after.

In the sun and rain, along the “beach” of life we would run and play together. Maisie taught me to stop and smell the flowers, engage with nature and truly come to respect and appreciate life and all of its beautiful offerings.

I will miss our many miles together, walks along and romps in the beautiful California surf at Dog Beach, watching the sun set into the blue Pacific. I will never forget cruisin’ with her on the deck of my longboard in the calm waters of the splendid Batiquitos Lagoon, hikes in the golden hills of San Diego, daily visits to Surf Dog’s Coffee Shop in Encinitas where she was the Queen of Taking Cuts in line for the homemade treats awaiting her, treks along the trails of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, and swimming in Oak Creek beneath the majestic Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ.

I will miss our everyday routines: snuggles in bed, treat feeding time, decorating our little beach apartment Christmas tree together, even the time as a little puppy when she helped herself to the wires under the driver’s seat of my car and I had to drive to the dealer in Atlanta with the seat stuck in “sleep” position.

Love of music was also our thing. Maisie listened to music everyday because I did. Maisie and I “crossed this country in style” four times, as we travelled the many highways and byways to California from the east coast. 

Our favorite song was “Moon River” (thank you Johnny Mercer &
Henry Mancini).

I can’t tell you how many times I played this song as we covered so many miles together. She had her cozy little place in the back seat of my car and I would sing this song to her, glancing to the backseat, smiling at her while I sang and the song played on. She happily smiled back at me as if to say, “I’m Your Huckleberry Friend, Mom.”

I never knew exactly what “My Huckleberry Friend” meant, but I liked the way it sounded, so I decided today to Google it. A Huckleberry is a wild berry, much like the untamed life Maisie and I shared together. It is also a 19th century expression that means “I’m the right person for the job” or in this case, “I’m the perfect friend for you.”

Picture if you will, Maisie and I traveling life’s Big Red Road together singing our song:

“Moon river, wider than a mile

I’m crossing you in style some day

Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker

Wherever you’re goin’, I’m goin’ your way

Two drifters, off to see the world

There’s such a lot of world to see

we’re after the same rainbow’s end,

waitin’ ‘round the bend

My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me.”

Maisie, my sweet Maisie, always “My Huckleberry Friend”

Special Thanks:

– Best Daddy Steve Day and all of Maisie’s friends at WHLC FM 104.5;

– Dr. Brad & Staff at Animal Wellness Hospital of Highlands 

– Dr. McClintock and Dr. Millar & Staff at UGA Veterinary Hospital

– Aunt Amanda, Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Debby and Aunt Wendy the best caregivers and friends ever;

– And all of you who stopped to love her and say hello to beautiful Maisie along the way.