Lovely Lyrics: When She Loved Me

When She Loved Me

from Toy Story 2

When somebody loved me,

everything was beautiful

Every hour we spent together,

lives within my heart

And when she was sad,

I was there to dry her tears

And when she was happy, so was I,

when she loved me

Through the summer and the fall,

we had each other, that was all

Just she and I together,

like it was meant to be

And when she was lonely,

I was there to comfort her

And I knew that she loved me

So the years went by,

I stayed the same

But she began to drift away,

I was left alone

Still I waited for the day,

when she’d say, "I will always love you"

Lonely and forgotten,

I never thought she’d look my way,

And she smiled at me and held me,

just like she used to do,

Like she loved me, when she loved me

When somebody loved me,

everything was beautiful,

Every hour we spent together,

lives within my heart

When she loved me

Written by Randy Newman

Performed by Sarah McLachlan

Today marks one year since the saddest and darkest day of my life.  Chelsea was our everything.

I've heard people say, "I don't like dogs."
Who are these people?
In the wise words of Lucille Bluth,
I don't know who that is and I don't care to find out.

Dogs are amazing, loyal, intelligent creatures and those of you who have loved and lost a dog know that no matter how much times passes, the hole in your heart is never, ever filled.  I loved our little Chelsea so deeply and for so long, that her absence is felt as acutely today as it was a year ago.

There are so many little moments daily when it is painfully apparent that my tiny best friend is no longer at my side…from the lack of anyone looking longingly each morning at my mug of coffee, silently pleading for me to share with her – which I happily did – to the empty space beside me each night when we go to bed.  It's like Maddy, Ginny, and Sadie know that particular spot will always belong to Chelsea, because none of them try to sleep where she did.  Everywhere else around me, yes.  But not in Chelsea's spot right beside me.  Chelsea also came everywhere with us, so when it is just C and me in the car, the backseat seems so lifeless and empty; she was always back there whenever we went anywhere – when she was an only dog for all those years, and after the others joined our family to remind her that no one would ever take her place.  She was a very entertaining little dog, and she loved vegetables.  LOVED them!  So every time we went to Chipotle, we'd each pick out some of the onions and peppers from our burritos and bring her a little packet when we got back to the car.  The excitement she displayed over these peppers and onions each time was hysterical – tail wagging, little body wiggling around in her bed in the car – we always comment to one another now that there's no one to save onions and peppers for anymore.

Time is a funny thing.  In some ways, the year has passed quickly – being busy has an upside – but in other ways, it seems like a lifetime ago that I held her in my arms.

Time also does have a way of perhaps not healing all of the pain, but providing perspective and a distance that helps mute the sad memories and enhance the happy ones.

This is one of my favorite all-time shirts, for obvious reasons.  My heart will always be property of Chelsea.

I'm off to snuggle my three furry friends.

Happy Tails to you…