Not a Sunny Day

*UPDATE FROM BETH*
No change, you sweet, sweet sisters. Thank you so much for caring. We've looked absolutely everywhere in both the car and on foot. I told Melissa about thirty minutes after I picked her up and she's looked obsessively for her ever since. I think you'll be blessed to know that she found two of my fellow LPM staff members looking for Sunny in our neighborhood, too, and in two different cars. That's the kind of people I work with. Sabrina, our director, almost couldn't pull it together today. Curtis tried to be really low key about the whole thing, not wanting to enter into the drama, then we found out he'd been out in the car looking, too. She's the kind of dog everybody loves.

We're making posters and putting them out tomorrow and at that point feel that we've done all we can do. I will definitely let you know how this turns out but I won't just keep on and on about it. In a world of rabid breast cancer and missing children, we'll try to keep our perspective. Thank you so much, Siesta, for mentioning her chapter in "Feathers From My Nest." That's one of the most fitting tributes to our fine dog that we have in print. One of our Siestas, Allison Ashton, painted me the most beautiful and perfect rendering of Sunny that you can imagine for my birthday last year then she had it matted in red and framed in black. It's the most precious thing ever. I have never loved a gift more. I'm so, so thankful to have it especially now. I love you, Allison.

Enough. Thanks for sharing my drama today. You are a wonderful community and you mean something to my life. Now, I'm going to go fix some comfort drinks (homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream) for Lis and I.




*UPDATE FROM AMANDA*
Mom wanted me to let you know that Sunny was not at the pound. We are hoping that she is just going to show up at the front door any time now. Please pray for Mom that she will be able to, in her words, pull it together. She is picking up Melissa from the airport right now. It's her first trip home since she moved and we don't want a cloud of sadness hanging over this sweet time with her. And in case this isn't clear, I want y'all to know that we do have perspective about this. Sunny is just a dog, but it's still sad to think about the loss of a furry friend. We love y'all! Thanks!


Hey, My Dear Siestas! I had planned to write you something funny today and share a few highlights from our trip to D.C. for the Esther intros and outros but something happened that took the funny right out of me.

My beloved Sunny dog is missing. When I got home from work yesterday around 5:00 PM, she darted out the front door. That's not at all unusual. The whole neighborhood knows her and she has some good dog friends she frequently visits. She's never been a dog you could confine. She will dig her way out of any backyard and shoot her way out of any open door. She was a stray sixteen years ago when she took up on my front porch. Our family has always teased that she was from the Order of Melchizedek because we never knew where she came from. Over the months that followed we became inseparable. During the worst season of my life, she sat right beside me while I bawled then would suddenly give my face what Keith and I came to call "the speed lick." You never saw it coming. Then I'd laugh really hard and she'd wag her tail. Mission accomplished.

She should have sauntered back within the hour but didn't. Keith and I drove all over the place last night then each got up many times during the night and looked out front for her. I put water on the porch because I knew when she came back she'd be thirsty. This morning, still no sign of her. Keith drove for over an hour this morning while I tried to get ready for work at home but bawled so hard, I couldn't get my make-up on for the longest. We really hoped that the dog pound picked her up but, so far, they say they don't have her. Keith is going to the facility as soon as it opens at 1:00 PM to see for himself.

I know this sounds silly to anyone who is not a dog lover but I am beside myself. She is my best buddy and is absolutely obsessed with me. She cries even if I'm temporarily out of sight. She follows me around, bless her heart, and sits wherever I do then sleeps right beside my bed where I can literally reach down and pet her. She is very old and I know she won't live a whole lot longer but I want to be right beside her holding her furry gray face when she finishes her job as the world's best guard dog and my most trusty friend.

I'll let you know what happens. We Siestas have shared a lot of life in the last many months and I thought you might as well know that your buddy is fit to be tied. I love you guys and I'll get you an update as soon as I have one.