Sadness and filling the void

My sweet, sweet girl is gone. I have the fondest memories to carry with me, but my heart is broken to know that I will never snuggle her again. One does not cancel out the other, unfortunately. My chest is tight and I cannot describe the feeling in my heart other than to say I am empty. I have felt this way before. I know it fades in time. I need to fill the void as soon as possible. That's just my way. I don't hold candlelight memorials. I don't mark the event on my calendar for future reminder. If you ask me what day it was that my Dad passed, I could tell you it was summer and I'm pretty sure it was 3 years ago. I do remember all the things he told me about growing tomatoes and taking care of your family. I'm pretty clear on what I want in the memory banks and it's not the day he left us.In two weeks, we will be picking up Mena, a 4 month old champion American Bulldog puppy. She is coming from the same parents as Ginger. The breeder heard what happened to Ginger and offered to sell Mena to us. He had already started showing her and was planning on adding her to his breeding program. He couldn't bear the thought of us not having one of his dogs to love and new puppies won't be available until April next year. So, he offered his prize winning girl Mena, knowing that she will become a part of our family and probably never see another show.There will never be another Ginger. But, there will be another pup and we are excited to give Mena the best life a dog could ask for. Loc and Mena at the show

Mena, when she was a wee pup