Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.

Eternity isn't some later time. Eternity isn't a long time. Eternity has nothing to do with time. Eternity is that dimension of here and now which thinking and time cuts out. This is it. And if you don't get it here, you won't get it anywhere. And the experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life. There's a wonderful formula that the Buddhists have for the Bodhisattva, the one whose being (sattva) is illumination (bodhi), who realizes his identity with eternity and at the same time his participation in time. And the attitude is not to withdraw from the world when you realize how horrible it is, but to realize that this horror is simply the foreground of a wonder and to come back and participate in it.

Narrated by-Joseph Campbell, in The Power of Myth (1988) with Bill Moyers, Episode 2.  

              While understanding the meaning of 'A bridge to eternity' and why I decided it as a title to my blog, frankly, it just popped out of my mind, spontaneously. While, I searched for the definition of 'eternity' today, it spoke about time and that it is endless time. 

              Yes, as explained by famous Mythologist Joseph Campbell, this time which is seemingly endless, is here and now and isn't sometime later. To live and to carry on, we always need some purpose and for all of us at home, unknowingly raising Tasha had became the central purpose. Our whole life revolved around this dog. Day in and day out. One side it was Tasha and the other side we the family of 4.

            The question,' Who is guarding whom?' ; never ever posed a real threat to me, as my obvious answer then was 'her (Tasha)'. She never ever left me alone. Where ever in the house I would go, she would follow me and most eagerly when I would receive guests. She would simply walk-in and quietly sit near my feet. She would comfort me by licking my feet in between and would patiently wait for this guest to move on. I would take huge pride in this act of hers and my guest would envy me for owning such a well behaved German Shepherd. '"What a composure, she has?" and there would be all praises for her, I would proudly take. Yes she definitely has a fiery look, but she is not ferocious.

(Clicked on 06 ‎March ‎2011)    

        Today when I remember her, I find this distinct character of hers, of being overtly human friendly indeed made her more vulnerable. It is like the dog guards you and you guard the dog in return. While with me, I would always kept an eye on her, after all, she is not only my dog, but is a daughter to me. A bold and beautiful daughter, a young and gracious daughter in her prime. 

(Clicked on ‎23 ‎July ‎2011)     

      We had unknowingly set-up a lot of expectations from her and when she revolted, we thought, a professional trainer can help us resolve. She was reluctant to leave us, as we had never kept her away from us or maybe she anticipated something more. We had promised her, we would return, but she never gave this chance to us, she was lost /stolen on the 8th day from  
the trainers School.                                    

      Stunned by the news, uncontrollable with our thoughts and emotions, we cried, we blamed, we cursed, we complained. Everyone heard the story, some offered sympathy, some provoked us to seek legal action, some offered compensation, some a new trained dog instead, some said, 'Oh! forget it? it was JUST A DOG'.

                   (Clicked on 28th May 2011)

                    From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance travelled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog."

     Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted.                 

     Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.                                                                 
      If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise." "Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence  of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

        Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment "Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

       I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human."

       So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog." just smile, because they "just don't  understand."        

     GSD Poem - "Just a Dog" by Richard A. Biby

Some day soon, my family and me, we all live  with this hope, a unique passage will  connect us to our beloved ; bridging the present sections of our song named Tasha and with this  thought, I wake up every morning with a dream, somewhere far off on this bridge  I see with my misty eyes, a German Shepherd  calling me .... 

This bridge will lead  me for an upcoming chorus and to sit back quietly to read  my memoirs  jotted down on this blog....titled

 ......A Bridge to Eternity ......

             Eternity has no grey hairs! The flowers fade, the  heart withers, man grows old and dies, the world lies down in the sepulchre of ages, but time writes no wrinkles on the brow of Eternity. Reginald Heber, reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary  of Burning Words of Brilliant  (1895), p. 213

Note: Just a few minutes from now, the clock will struck twelve; completing exact six months of Tasha gone missing.