[May 29, 2023] From the stories told by my parents, my first doggie – Rusty – was my forever companion. He was there when I was born and lived with us for many years. I’m convinced our close, very close bond was the reason for many decades of wonderful relationships with animals throughout my lifetime, in particular, pet dogs. It is said that your first pet is your pet for a lifetime. You will love them for your entire existence, regularly looking back to that time and knowing that although those precious moments with them are fleeting, they were worthwhile.
My favorite photograph of me as a toddler shows me, about one year old, in a standup baby walker with trusty Rusty at my side. Rusty was always at my side, never leaving me, whether inside our house, in a muddy ditch on the side, in the grass yard, in the backseat of the car, or in my bedroom. If there is ever a mandatory need for a child besides their mom and dad, it’s a good dog. Later in life, my own children had their pet companions that I insisted they get; they were cats, oh, okay, cats can be companions, too. Since I was the pet caretaker, my kids had cats, and they loved them dearly. I worked too many hours to give the attention required of a dog; the cats were a substitute.
Before his untimely passing away, and before I could remember, my Mom would tell me stories of our adventures with Rusty. For example, when I tried to fast-waddle across the street, Rusty refused to allow it. His reaction had to be instinctual. I could never wander out of his sight. He was my protector. When the fall leaves fell in our yard, I would jump into the leaves that Dad had raked, and there he was, Rusty, running through and scattering those leaves because he must have known I loved it too. Mom told me that Rusty would look at me after each pass through a pile of leaves as if to say, “Hey, look, my friend, I can do it too.”
Whenever I cried, and as a kid, that must have been often, Rust would lick my tears away. What a great dog he was to love! I was fortunate that Mom allowed Rusty to sleep at the foot of the bed in my room. Indeed, we were inseparable. And, while I don’t remember the day Rusty passed away, I was surely heartbroken. He was more than a pet; Rusty was a companion, a friend, and a protector, and he was my brother.
Everybody deserves a dog like him. Wherever Rusty is now, I hope and pray there’s plenty of wet dog food, tennis balls to go around, and sticks to chase. I am now comforted by the fact that Rusty lived a full life and spent every moment knowing he was loved.
I still think of my first doggie, Rusty.
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NOTE: See all my letters here: https://www.theleadermaker.com/granddaughter-letters/
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Great letters, thank you Gen. S.
Great.
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day yesterday and was able to show up to a parade or local speech honoring our fallen men and women. If you weren’t there and one was not within driving distance, then be the person next year who puts one together. Contact your local council members and tell them to get with it and honor our troops.
Keep these great articles coming out way, Gen. Satterfield. I heard long ago you might be writing a book on the “Surge” and this might just be the beginning, if I read the dates correct. 💖
I’m with you JT. Cheers.
I am looking forward to the next installment of this set of letters. Thank you Gen. Satterfield for sharing.
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Yes, indeed. I hope Gen. Satterfield puts these into a book and publishes it for us.
Great idea. And while we can read them here, it will be a bit inconvenient …. at least compared to having them in one place to read. I hope that Gen. Satterfield can make that happen. He has done it before in his first book that is dedicated to his grandchildren. It will be of great value to his children’s children when they are old enough and mature enough to read them.
I certainly hope so and will also make the recommendation.
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Top notch info, Gen. S. Keep this series coming.
Your granddaughter is very lucky to have you. I certainly hope she realizes it.
Of course she will. If not now, whenever she matures sufficiently to read his ‘letters’ in context of the world we know now. Granddaughters can be the best. They tend to mature faster than boys and are quicker on the reading skill sets. Good for Gen. Satterfield. His granddaughter is, indeed, very lucky.
Powerful, of course.
Let us hope that our children and grandchildren can survive the nasty, destructive leftist ideologies today that have destroyed so many civilizations in the past and enslaved their citizens. 👍
So true, Boy Sue. If ONLY. Many will be sucked into the bei Marxist maw. So sad that many parents will not even notice. Hey folks, BTW, please get a copy of Gen. Satterfield’s books. It helps support his website that keeps us in the know about senior leadership traits and how to live better lives.
https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Longest-Year-Iraq-Construction/dp/1737915510/