Thankful for Every Loop

Last week, I was scrolling through the photos on my phone when I stumbled across a video from eleven years ago. A senior Harley and a spry young Helen were playing chase and bitey-face in the ALC gym on the freshly laid rubber flooring. We were scrambling to meet our Grand Opening date, which was just two weeks away. But Harley and Helen didn’t care about deadlines—they just wanted to play in a big, open space.

Twelve years old at the time, Harley stood in the middle of the room as Helen zoomed past him, mouthing at his ears the way boxers do—flues flapping, jaws snapping. The old man answered her invitation with a wide, sleepy-lion “arrrrhh,” chasing her joyful energy around the room. She trotted back to him, play-bowed, and dove in again, tossing a right cross to his shoulder and an air snap before racing off through the back hall, down the main hallway, and looping back into the gym. Harley took a few stiff steps toward the door, readying himself for the next drive-by burst of boxer slobber and mischief. They played like that for another couple of minutes, until Harley ended the game with a gentle hip check—a quiet yet clear signal that the fun was over.

A few swipes later, I landed on another video—one from just a few weeks ago—and the sweetness of the memory doubled. This time it was Andy and Helen recreating their own version of the young-and-old play. Helen is now 15½ years old, and Andy, at nine, is full of that particular brand of ornery enthusiasm. He likes to gallop just out of reach of her boxer swings (most of the time), dodging her chomping mouth or right cross as they go. In this video, they play bitey-face on the run, Helen mouthing his neck and Andy nibbling at her wrists and ankles. They sprint the same oval track through the hallways and back into the gym. Helen chases him with her stiff gait, pogo-ing determinedly in hot pursuit. They return to the gym tired, happy, and glowing from another raucous play session.

Seeing Helen play like this—nearly eleven years after her romp with Harley—brings her journey with me almost full circle. I am so deeply thankful to still have her in my life and always at my side. She has become our quiet matriarch, welcoming and tutoring Half Moon, Dottie, Kahlua, Andy, and Joey in the rhythms of our family. She’s enforced the rules with a gentle touch, taught everyone the routine, and held us all together with that soft yet powerful energy only she possesses.

This Thanksgiving, I am cherishing every moment I have with Helen. I know I won’t have many more holidays with her, but I am eternally grateful for every single day she’s chosen to stay. I love my sweet girl.