Mags

When I was a kid, I grew up in a household with only my mom and me. I loved dogs. I had always wanted one, but we could never afford to take care of one. For some weird reason, I always wanted to name a dog Mags. When I was in eleventh grade, my mom passed away. After I graduated, I went to Berkley. After Berkley, I went to Harvard Law. When I graduated from law school. After twenty years of schooling, I was ready for a career and a life. I was ready for a change. After law school I moved back home to Michigan. My life there was just beginning. It was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the grass was so green that it made the Grinch look pale in comparison. Spring is my favorite time of year because it was around this time when I met Mags. She was the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. Me and my then boyfriend had been walking down central park when we spotted something in the bushes. We went over to see what it was, and that’s when we saw Mags. She was the most beautiful animal I had ever seen. She was a blue heeler-golden retriever mix. We brought her to the vet and were told that she was about 11 months old. We took her home and talked it over. We decided we were going to keep her. We went to the store the next day and bought everything that we would need for the little pup. She was the sweetest, and the most amazing dog I had ever met. It took me awhile to figure out a name for her, but I remembered being a kid and wanting to name a dog Mags. So I decided that why not live my childhood dreams and call her Mags. Fast forward five years, I’m with a new guy, and we are madly in love and what do you know? He proposes! I could not contain my joy, but I wanted Mags to have the final say. I told him he would have to ask Mags for permission first. She gave him permission by licking his face. After ten months of wedding planning, we realized something was wrong with Mags. We took her to the Veterinarian's Office and were told that Mags had a brain tumor. We were devastated and we decided to postpone the wedding. Five or six months go by and Mags seems to be getting better, so we decided to reschedule the wedding for the next month. We ended up having the wedding, and since I never knew my real father and my mother died when I was in college, we had the idea for  Mags to walk me down the aisle. We walked down the aisle, and began the wedding. The ceremony was beautiful. I wore a ball gown made of satin with intricate detailing. Mags wore a little white skirt with sparkles. We had the wedding at Leominster Gardens, and we had the reception at the Children’s museum so the kids could play. My cake was three teires and covered in fondant and chocolate pieces. I turned around to hug Mags, and I noticed that she was still laying down. I started to cry. I fell to my knees and tried to wake her. She was gone. It was then and there when I realized that dogs truly are man's best friend. Mags held on to her life until she could walk me down the aisle and watch me get married. I loved Mags. My friends and family stayed with us that night while we cried for Mags. A few weeks later, we had a small funeral for her. She planted her grave with her favorite flower, pansies. Now that I’m here, lying in this hospital bed, in the pale yellow walls, with the clickety-clacking of nurses and doctors passing by, coughs and sneezes coming from other rooms. Babies crying in the maternity ward, doctors being called and paged over the intercom. The slow steady beeping of the monitors everywhere in my room, and the quiet breeze coming through my window, reminiscing on that beautiful spring day, waiting for her to come and get me to go up to heaven, tears of pure joy are falling down my face. I have only cried like that three times in my life. Once when I found Mags, another time when I got married and once more when I gave birth to my daughter Moriah. Moriah and I were very close, but she was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting.I start to see a bright light, and then there’s Mags. Descending down on a cloud with wings as white as snow, a halo as shiny as gold, and a grin as sweet as sugar cane. It is as if she is trying to let me know that my life has been rich and fuller than anybody else's I have known. I lived for so many years, I mean, I am almost a hundred and two. Actually, if I remember correctly, today is my birthday. So that would make me exactly one hundred and two today at noon. I take one last look around the room and see my wedding photo, and the ceramic owl from my daughter before she died. My eyes slowly begin to shut and I take my last breath. I know right then and there that it is my time to go to heaven. I am lifted on to a fluffy cloud, and start to make my way up. We get off at the bottom of the stairs. I place my hand on the rail, take a deep breath, and begin walking up the steps. The stairs are golden, and the rail is made of cloud. I get to the top and realize, that I have become my thirty year old self. Apparently when you get to heaven, you become yourself when you were most happy. For me, that was my thirties. I look around, and see angels with harps, and animals frolicking in the hills, but what catches my eyes the most is Mags, my husband, and my daughter waiting to greet me at the gates. All I can think to say right now, is thank you Mags. Forever and ever.