03/11/2023
Hello All...
I know that I haven't been very active here lately and for that I apologize. I realize now that I have been grieving and grieving isn’t something you can rush. You see, today is the one-year anniversary of Onyx's passing and it has been a hard year. Luna has helped in her own ways as only Luna can and the arrival of little Xray has been like a balm to my broken heart, but still there has been quite the void in our lives this past 365 days.
After Onyx's passing, I really didn't know if I was going to keep the business. He had been so instrumental in the pursuit of this dream that I wasn't sure that I could go on without him. It has taken some time for me to realize that I do want to continue to grow the business and to keep moving forward (watch for more posts regarding this). I owe him that much. In the very near future, I will be rolling out two new items within the business to honor both him and Ivan.
Just as I was unsure if I could keep the business going without Onyx, I was even more unsure about staying in Search & Rescue. He was the best SAR partner one could ever hope for; if Xray turns out to be half as good as Onyx was, I'll be very, very pleased. He didn't have a career-find during his SAR years, but he did cover miles and miles of areas ruling out the places where the subject could have been. He and I responded to numerous callouts, deployed in several post hurricane efforts, and met the public during meet and greets and events. He was my travel buddy and boy did we go places. He was such an awesome little partner.
There is so much that I owe to Onyx. He got Eddie and I through hard times, helped me recover from my stoke, and eased the difficulties of 2020. He was my old soul. He calmed those around him...both 2-legged and 4-legged. He spoke volumes without ever making a sound. He put smiles on people’s faces with his wiggle-butt. In truth, I really don’t have the words to express how much of an impact he made on me. How much love, comfort, and joy he brought.
I dreaded making this post because it meant I had to go through all the photos and be reminded of him. I haven’t had the heart to do it this past year. To see those eyes peering deep into my soul again today broke me and the tears fell. I can’t believe that a year has passed. A day hasn’t gone by when I haven’t spoken to him, to seek his counsel, or see him out of the corner of my eye in the shadows. I hear him in the wind. I feel him pressed up against me while I sleep. He comes to me in dreams.
Our Onyx. My Little Guy. Wait for me at the Rainbow’s End.
