What we learned from our Golden friend
Annie, Team Mascot
August 20, 1992--September, 28, 2008
On September 28, 2008, Annie, our team mascot and our family golden retriever was laid to rest after 16 years of loving service to us all. We want to honor her for all she meant to our team and our family. Monthly at our team meeting we honor a team member with the Annie Award. This award is given to a team member that has exemplified Annie’s values: loyalty, compassion, patience, giving, friendly, good listener, and a servant’s heart. We will dedicate a section in our future Kristan Cole newspapers, where we can highlight special events, special people, and important issues in our community. Be looking for Annie’s Corner.
Annie came into our lives 16 years ago when we got her from my brother Craig and his wife Sheila. Annie was a red golden retriever; small hunting breed size. She was beautiful and the kids loved her. Annie stood guard over our house, our children and also was known to be the Alfa dog of the neighborhood. In 1999 she also became the mascot for our real estate team and until this past year, came to work with me every day. Annie impacted all of our lives. Several of our team members have written special comments about Annie. This is how they saw our special friend that taught us so much about how to live life and treat others without ever saying a word.
She was tough but she was gentle.
She played hard but she knew how to relax.
She was loyal but she would let us know if she had been ignored.
She knew that the best tasting foods didn’t always smell good.
She always greeted a stranger with a smile and a wagging tail.
She found joy in simple things like a brisk morning roll in the grass.
She was tolerant but let you know when her limit was met in a stern but gentle way.
She respected our dining table but wouldn’t miss an opportunity to snag a morsel if our guard was down.
She was a great listener and knew when we were distressed.
She never backed down from a challenge and never quit.
She knew how to be a friend and was better at being a servant than being served.
She never refused a good belly rub.
She was a great explorer. She never seemed to worry too much about her boundaries.
She was always willing to make new friends and embark on new adventures whenever she saw fit.
She was carefree and not afraid to march to the beat of a different drummer.
She showed she had true grit and the will to survive.
She never asked for anything in return. Above all, she was loyal.
Knowing Annie was getting older, we added a golden retriever puppy to our family two years ago. We knew Annie wouldn’t be with us forever, but we also knew that if she would train our new puppy AnnaBell, that Annie could live on through her.
Annie was laid to rest on a Sunday in the place where she often sat looking out over the valley. The tears were many and the pain of her leaving us forever is excruciating. My only solace to the emptiness of her being gone is in the knowing that she was a happy dog who had lived a full joyful life because of those she served and impacted. She understood that no act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted. We will miss her so much.
Right now our country is experiencing a lot of pain because of the current financial crisis. The good news is that we all still have the opportunity to have joy in our lives in the midst of uncertainty because we all still have the opportunity to serve others.
Use this for the quoted section: “Annie was laid to rest on a Sunday in the place where she often sat looking out over the valley. The tears were many and the pain of her leaving us forever excruciating. My only solace to the emptiness of her being gone is in the knowing that she was a happy dog who had lived a full joyful life because of those she served and impacted”.
