Hello, Sabina, Sher, and Sam,
We are writing to thank you for making possible our adoption of Goma, short for Gomanosuke (nee Juniper), in the summer of 2022.
We had to let Goma depart us for the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday, December 5th. He left peacefully in our arms, surrounded by family. While Goma’s time with us was too brief that does not diminish what he meant and how precious he was to us. We fully understood that, as a senior, he would have less time with us but we were willing to accept that because we wanted to give him the best, happiest, and most secure life possible, to make up for what he may have missed out on prior. He was deserving of that better life, which we tried to provide, and he repaid us with love and forgiveness, plus some comic relief, as he became part of our family.
Goma’s turnaround is quite an amazing story in its own right. Unbeknownst to us he was selected for and went through medical rehabilitation, which was made possible by House with a Heart, and together we were able to provide Goma with nearly three years of happy, safe, and secure living that he might not otherwise have experienced, beginning with his recuperation under the care of Sam (of “amazing foster care from a CHR volunteer” fame), a Caring Hearts Rescue volunteer.
Goma himself deserves some credit for his recovery too; even though he had a lot of support he was a determined little dog with a lot of heart & spirit, who took full advantage of the 2nd chance he received from House with a Heart, to basically will himself into better health to be adopted by us. Goma was not just our, but everyone’s “little miracle.”
We will never forget when we first met Goma at Sam’s place in July 2022, when he walked over to greet us. He then fell asleep in Hugh’s arms when he picked up and held Goma. We still recall Sam saying, “He doesn’t walk up to just anyone and then allow them to pick him up and hold him.” It is said that it is the people who choose the dog but we really believe it was Goma who chose us that day, and that was just his way of communicating his decision to us.
Goma was part Japanese Chin so we changed his name from Juniper to Goma, which is Japanese for sesame seeds. Goma was a combined black, brown, tan, and white, with flecks of black and brown sprinkled on his white legs, much like sesame seeds on white rice. He also had a jagged black band on him, like a Charlie Brown shirt, and a prominent spot of white in the middle of his head, which, when viewed from certain angles, resembled a heart.
Goma was quite the character too. When we used to drive between D.C. and the Delaware Shore he used to stand up for the entire drive, attentively scanning the road ahead and keeping an eye on the driver. In the spirit of Top Gun Maverick we nicknamed and referred to him as our “Co-Pilot.”
What we have written reflects our deep love, affection, and sense of loss that we feel for him, and the fact that we did not want his passing to go unlamented and his life, which was so meaningful to us, to go uncelebrated. We are not ashamed to admit that we are still deeply mourning his departure for the hills & meadows before the Rainbow Bridge because when you truly love someone anything short of forever is destined to end in sorrow. However, we do comfort ourselves with the thought of reuniting with him one day, when our own time comes.
But in the meantime, sad as we are, we must remind ourselves to celebrate Goma’s life, which, although characterized by early misfortune not of his doing, was also marked by a stunning comeback and a lifetime’s worth of love and joy. We choose to remember Goma as our courageous little dog who came into our lives and entered our hearts, weathered and overcame more adversity than we could ever imagine, and despite having ample reason not to, was forgiving enough to trust people again to become a loving and beloved member of our family.
In memory of our most beloved Goma, whose spirit lives on fur-ever in our hearts, our minds, and our most priceless, precious, and treasured thoughts & memories, we want to thank everyone for blessing Goma with that most rare of things in life, a 2nd chance, and us the opportunity to share and live it with him.
With deepest sorrow, but also much gratitude,
Phil, Genna, and Hugh