The Incredible Mr Burns

We are positively in heaven now that Mr Burns is our boy.  He is super-sweet, affectionate, devoted, smart, 90% housetrained, outgoing.  He is so different from Jasper, and yet it's as though we are starting with Mr Burns at the point where Jasper left off.  All his life, we wanted Jas to be a snuggle-bunny.  For most of his years, he emphatically was not.  He'd get up on the bed with us, but if you tried to shift him even a smidge so as to wrest some covers for yourself, even so much as a toe under any part of his body, he was off the bed in a flash.  If he was curled up super-cutely on the floor or somewhere, and you tried to get in beside him, up until about age 12, he'd bolt, find himself a quiet, unbothered spot on his own.  He had his own thing going on.

It's not like anything traumatic had ever happened to him.  It was just his personality.  He wasn't mean in any way, just a little private, I guess, neeeding space.  As he got older, in his 12th and 13th years, then finally it was possible to snuggle him, to get him to drape himself over you on the couch and stay there, cozy dogpile nap.  But we didn't have long with him in this phase of his love-life with us.  

From Jasper I think all three of us really and truly learned to how to love, to devote ourselves completely to another being, to love everything all the time unconditionally.  I'm not saying that we didn't love before Jasper; I just feel like Jas taught each one of us to love BIG.  We loved him every single moment of every single day of his life, through every change, through every trial, loving him more all the time.  With him, we swam non-stop in a boundless ocean of love.

The moment I laid eyes on Mr Burns, I knew that we were getting back in the water.  And ever since he came home with us 5 days ago, we have been paddling in the deep end of bliss, delighted with every millimeter of his physical form, amazed at his personality, held in his furry embrace.  I think we were all a little nervous about how it would feel, what it would be like to have not-Jasper in the house.  But wow, it's unreal how great it is to have the incredible Mr Burns with us in all his sable-coated finery.

Right now as I write this he's curled up asleep next to me on our bed, his bunny between his paws, snoring lightly.  He's such a delight, such a perfect little puppy, just absolutely such a surprising little being, so mellow and easy, so friendly and open.  We are amazed and just really so very happy.

This year has been so crazy -- losing Jasper was such heartbreak, finding Mr Burns was such joy.  For me, after months of grief and loneliness, how great to feel this giant love again, bigger than ever.  

Happiness truly is, for me, a warm puppy.  So, so, so good to have puppy love back in my life.  Oh, incredible Mr Burns, how big a blessing it is to know you and be your family.

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