Well, our days of volunteering every day have come to an end and the feeling is bittersweet. After months of back and forth on whether we'd adopt a second dog (and retire from fostering), we got one pup we just couldn't give up. Actually, a second pup we couldn't give up, because we were "Foster Family Failures (FFF)" with Beadie too just over a year ago. Matlock is a great fit for our family, and camping just proved that even more. We're looking forward to many more trips together - although we may need a bigger vehicle...
But today was odd and I felt a little lost as I wasn't taking a puppy on a day visit, or taking a puppy to Petsmart. I was out of the loop. ARF has helped me feel 'at home' in Calgary and I'm experiencing a really profound sense of loss in our 'retirement' - there were actually tears - no joke. I haven't felt this way since leaving Ottawa and the Children's Garden in Robert Leggett Park - a project I was heavily involved with, and very sad to leave. The difference with ARF is that I'm still in the same city, but have chosen to take on a different role within the organization.
I can't wrap my head around 'never' fostering again - I can't really stand to think that! I do hope to babysit the odd foster dog when ARF foster parents are out of town, or foster again when our schedules are lighter. For now, I'll have to find something else to do with my time!
No comments:
Post a Comment