Epiphany Surprise #3

I walked into the bedroom today and saw Lucie snuggled up with James on the bed, taking a nap together. 

My first thought was, "How sweet!"

Not, "WHAT IS THE DOG DOING ON MY MOTHER'S QUILT?!?!?"

Same quilt, same bed, different city (Tucson)

When I first agreed to let this dog up on the bed (not something I've allowed with previous dogs), it was on the condition that a blanket be put over the quilt first so the dog couldn't damage my mother's irreplaceable labor of love. 

Always before today, I've only seen dog claws and hairs touching the quilt when I caught Lucie on the bed without a protective blanket. 

Today I saw Lucie,

resting sweetly with James.

In my mind I heard my mother say, "Before I died, I used to worry about dogs damaging quilts.  Now that I know how short and precious life is, I say Get Over It—a dog is more important than a quilt!"

I love this quilt. 

I love this dog more.

I love James more than either of them.

And I love how much he loves this dog.

I don't love sleeping in a bed full of dog hair, so I'll still keep her off the sheets.