Prologue to Little Lucy’s Life Lessons

Never again. I said, “Never again.” Losing KD, our Golden Retriever, took a huge chunk of my heart. KD was amazing. I had my home-based business, and when customers came, KD was the greeter. She was so loved, that several people got a dog after meeting KD, even though they had never had one. She was a goodwill ambassador for all canines.  She lived much longer than Golden Retrievers usually live, but it just was not long enough. It never is with our fur friends. 
I was home (semi-retired) and my husband Gary was working long days, in a high stress job. When Gary mentioned getting another dog, I planted my feet and said “NO!” I said no for months. I just didn’t think I could go through it again.  He persisted, and even suggested a smaller dog. A dog that would be easy to travel with. A dog that wouldn’t shed. A dog that could be a companion, and help fill the void left after losing KD. Then he suggested a Miniature Schnauzer. We had friends with Schnauzers, and they were awfully sweet. But, no I thought! Don’t give in. Then, it hit. That feeling of “shame on me.” Gary worked long days, his job was so stressful, so perhaps I was wrong to deny him having another dog.
Then the Google search happened. I searched for Miniature Schnauzers Indiana. BOOM! There were a gazillion options popping up. One caught my eye. The location was Bedford, Indiana. Hmmmmm. There is a great quilt shop in Bedford, and being a quilter, I could make a stop there. Voila! But would they have puppies? Probably not. I called, and was pleasantly surprised. The gal I talked to was so nice, so I just spilled it all out to her. She told me that they did have puppies, but they were not available yet. They were just three weeks old. I explained to her that I wasn’t sure I could handle a little dog. I certainly didn’t want to have a yapper!  Then, she said that she was not a kennel breeder. These puppies were born in their house, and the parents of the puppies were their Schnauzers. They had the parents since they were puppies. She said neither one of them were yappers, since the “grand marshal” on their farm was a Golden Retriever. She was sure his low-key personality had an effect on the Schnauzers. Funny isn’t it, how things mysteriously happen? She said we could come see the puppies, no obligation of course. Now what to do/ I told Gary, and he was ready to hop in the car and go now. I decided to make a weekend of it, and stay at French Lick Resort. Bedford was not too far out of the way.
We left early on a cold Saturday morning, and made it to the Schnauzer meeting. The house sat on a hill on a five-hundred-acre farm. When we arrived, we were indeed greeted by the grand marshal. I felt a twinge of sadness, as he looked so much like KD.  He took us to the door, and Courtney welcomed us in. As we waited for her to bring the two available puppies out, I admired the view from the windows that looked out over the farm. It was breathtaking!
Then, there they were. Two little black furballs! She put them down on the floor, and the one little ball of fur ran straight to Gary. It was as though she knew him! He got down on the floor with her, and she was playing tug-of-war with a rope toy like they were old friends. I knew! I knew that in that moment, there was no turning back!
I asked Courtney (the breeder) when we could pick her up. I also asked how much the deposit was. I wrote the check while Gary and Lucy continued to play. It was a done deal. Just like that. We set the date, and headed off to French Lick. Gary never stopped talking about Little Lucy. I knew I had made the right decision. Sure, there would be the housebreaking, the puppy training, the chewing…oh no- the chewing! The happiness on his face, and the joy in his voice, told me I had done the right thing. In just two and a half weeks, Little Lucy would be ours. 
January is an unpredictable month in Indiana. It may be fifty degrees one day, and zero the next day. Snows come in, and sometimes they hit hard and stay for a while. That is exactly what happened. The meteorologists’ predictions are often right, and just as often wrong.  This time? They were spot on. There was a huge snow storm coming. It wasn’t a possibility- it was definite. When was it coming? Late Friday, and continuing into the weekend. The very weekend that we were scheduled to pick up Little Lucy! Gary left for work early on Friday. He grumbled about the snow preventing us from getting Lucy. He left saying, “We’re never going to get her!”  Wrong Gary, wrong.

As soon as he was out the door, I called my friend. “Are you dressed?” I asked. She said she wasn’t dressed, and wasn’t even out of bed! I told her, “You have fifteen minutes to get ready! We are heading Bedford, Indiana to pick up a puppy!”   I called Courtney, and told her we were on our way. This was the second snow storm, and we still had a lot of snow remaining from the first one. She said they would bring Lucy to me, in a big four-wheel drive farm vehicle. They would meet me at the end of the driveway, as we would never be able to get up the drive with all the drifting. She cautioned me to be careful!  We did it! We made it there in record time, and I got home with our new puppy just as the snow storm set in.
It took Gary over two hours to get home that evening. It was as they predicted, a monster of a snow storm. He came in the door, and I could tell he was totally drained from the day at work and the drive. I told him dinner was a bit behind, so he needed to just put on his comfy clothes and relax a bit. “Oh, and by the way, check that pile of stuff in the living room.” He mumbled, “Now what?” Then, he saw that the “pile of stuff” was actually a pile of fluff, cozied up in a soft bed of blankets. So many questions! “When?”  “How?”
Little Lucy didn’t touch down the entire evening. He held her, he cuddled her, he laid with her, he dug a path in the snow, and he praised her when she did her business.
And, so it began. Life with Little Lucy. I am not sure how, but KD somehow sent us to that farm in Bedford, Indiana. She sent us to get Little Lucy. She sent us to heal, and once again feel love like we felt with her. Dogs are like children. No two are alike.  They heal our hearts when we are sad, they calm us when we feel anxiety, they feel our happiness and share in it with us, and unlike any other living being, they love us unconditionally. Little Lucy has seen me through two cancer battles, the loss of family, and many life events. Above all, Little Lucy has taught me so many “life lessons.”  These life lessons apply to all of us. There is so much to learn from this little pup- we just must listen to hear the message, have eyes that see the message, a mind that is open to what she is teaching us, and most importantly a heart to feel the love.  I love Little Lucy, and I am sure she loves us.

About Lorry Meyers Kirschner

An award-winning quilter, Lorry grew up on a farm just outside of a small town in Ohio, where she learned the skills and joys of raising animals and the art of sewing. Her first book, Big Trouble, is her memoir about growing up with the unofficial middle name of “Trouble,” getting into one scrape after another and learning the most important things about life from those experiences and from her wise and loving father.

She grew up and moved to Southeast Indiana, and even though she no longer lives on a farm, she still lives in a country home surrounded by farmland. She often sits and reads on her back porch while listening to the corn whisper as the summer breeze travels through.

She has a passion for making quilts, cooking, and baking. She was a 4-H leader for many years and still helps 4-H children learn the joy of sewing.

She enjoys traveling with her husband, as they share an interest in history and love visiting historical places.

A grandmother now, she finds her greatest joy when spending time with her grandchildren.