I have found that since I embraced the tool of social media to convey messages to NTCA's membership, it has also been a wonderful vehicle to share anything I frankly feel like sharing. While it certainly has been effective as we have navigated numerous industry changes, most of our membership have also really supported the personal side of what I have conveyed and part of that has been my family and certainly the furry side of our family as well. It always puts a smile on my face when NTCA members ask about one of my dog family members by name. I will never forget one of my first encounters with our current Rural Utilities Service Administrator, as well, because he told me that, of all the social media posts I make, the ones he really engages with are the ones about my dogs.
That is why it is with a heavy heart that I share that I have lost my nearly 13-year-old companion, Cassie. My third golden retriever and likely my best-behaved four-legged family member (only the four-legged variety?) found that it was time to cross that rainbow bridge. She may have been ready, but we certainly were not. If there is any solace, it was that my husband, Don, and I recognized a year ago that losing Cassie will break our heart so we added a pup, Madigan, to the family mix with hopes that Cassie's good behavior would actually rub off on her while we had the time.
Cassie joined our family shortly after I returned to NTCA 13 years ago and has been the perfect canine companion. Between her temperament and her canine sensibility, she was the epitome of what a golden and a dog should be: patient, loyal, true and willing to listen to my stress points every evening during our last walk of the day. With Cassie, I have often mentally referred to former President Richard Nixon's statement about all anyone needs in Washington, D.C., is a dog to ensure they have someone trusted and true in their corner.
Cassie was known for sitting in front of the fireplace to be consoled during a thunderstorm, to come running when the mere hint of a crinkly plastic food wrapper could be heard from half a mile away, for shaking her collar right next to my ear when she wanted to get up earlier in the morning than I was prepared for because she was “starving” and for distributing love and snuggles freely. One of my daughters shared with me that Cassie was an anchor for home for her during some of the toughest and most formative years of her life. Coming home for snuggles was always her safe space.
Sadly, not unlike the loss of my last pup, Daisy, I was away on a business trip when the quick acceleration and decline took place. I certainly do hate coincidences, but I received a similar call from my dog sitter this week while at NTCA's first Summer Symposium meeting sharing that things were not going well. I was able to finish the meeting, work my magic on the airline app and head back home to sleep next to her and handle the next difficult step to come. Even with a euthanasia appointment set, in classic Cassie fashion, she chose to go on her own a few hours prior to any medical intervention. Don and I were heartbroken but admired her ability to always do things on her terms.
Cassie, also known on her Instagram account as Cassie the Wonder Pup, met numerous NTCA members over the years including the SMC board who had to come to my house one year when the power was out in the entire office neighborhood and Cassie spent most of the meeting prowling around the back window wondering how she could get in to eat the bagels. Some of my association friends who have come over for barbecue instead of opting for Washington, D.C., dinner fare also were treated to an evening with a dog under their feet, as she drooled with hopes that a hamburger would fall from the sky. Cassie has also been my partner on numerous occasions participating in the Foundation for Rural Service 5K walk (we walk, not run) and has been known to scout the NTCA hallways to ensure the surroundings were “safe” for staff, but never enjoyed the elevator ride up to our floors. I still have her water bowl in my office. In a note of condolence, one of our team referred to her as a colleague instead of as my dog. Her favorite place on earth was South Bethany beach in Delaware and I am grateful that Don recently put the two girls in the car to take them out there for a few days of ball throwing and crab digging when I was out on business travel. That will be where we scatter her ashes later this fall with family around.
The one thing that eases my heart is that Cassie had a wonderful life. That lesson is one that I hope to take with me. How do we ensure that we appreciate all the goodness and simple joys that we have in front of us? How do we not gobble up those extra goldfish crackers (Cassie) or tortilla chips (Shirley) while we can still enjoy them? Stop and sniff the flowers? Dogs are renowned for that, and we should be as well. My favorite Cassie habit was finding a wonderful stretch of grass along our walks and suddenly plopping down for a dramatic back roll. In the rural broadband arena, we can go 90 miles an hour and ensure we keep our eyes on the prize, supporting our members and their efforts bringing broadband services to consumers. But how do we ensure that we don't miss the joy of bringing these services along the way? Let's sniff a few more flowers together.
As Winnie the Pooh would say, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”