Law Office of JL

On June 8, 2012, a hit and run driver struck and killed Lexi, a service dog owned by Debbie Schultz.  Thankfully, the alleged driver has been caught.  Debbie is also facing medical issues, but most of all, she has to face the loss of her beloved service dog.  Debbie’s husband bought Lexi for her and then her husband passed away shortly thereafter.  Lexi came to mean the world to Debbie.

Debbie’s sister, Kathy (who owns “Poppin’ on Broadway” in downtown Waukesha) is hosting a benefit at the Montecito Ristorante in downtown Waukesha on JULY 15, 2012 (Sunday) from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m.  Service dogs are welcome!  The address of the restaurant is:  257 W. Broadway in downtown Waukesha.  If you cannot attend, but would like to donate to “The ‘Lexi’ Legacy” Benefit Fund, please send your donation to:  Waukesha State Bank, 151 E. St. Paul Avenue, PO Box 648, Waukesha, WI  53187-0648.

As Kathy says, “Lexi is a hero!”  Please donate to help Debbie with her great loss and to honor Lexi’s memory!

Even though I do not know Debbie personally, I do know why it is important to support her during this difficult time.  My late uncle Roy had a seeing eye dog named “Eli.”  My Uncle Roy received Eli after serving during the Viet Nam war and suffering blindness.  Eli was a huge, beautiful German Shepherd.  Eli meant the world to Uncle Roy, and we all knew it and loved Eli for giving Uncle Roy his life back.  I specifically remember a Christmas family gathering where my young cousins were climbing all over Eli, even opening his huge, imposing jaws to look at Eli’s teeth.  Eli just laid there, patiently tolerating this type of attention.  After Eli died, my uncle was devastated.  We all supported him, but I don’t think any of us really knew how much more support he needed than we gave.  At that time, I do not think that any of us realized the extent of his devastation because Uncle Roy was quiet, a strong and proud military man who did not let his pain show.  As time passed following Eli’s death, my Uncle Roy became more and more reclusive.  He passed away last year after becoming a recluse, rejecting family love and support.  We all loved Uncle Roy, and we all believe that the death of Eli started his decline.  The lesson to be learned is that there is no time better than right now to support Debbie – let her know that we understand what Lexi meant to her, what Lexi truly gave to her, and that we support her during this difficult time.

If you have read some of my posts, you may have figured out that I am a small town farm girl, having grown up among cornfields and farms, surrounded by animals.  When I went away to college, a friend of mine told me about her friends, Cynthia and Jim, who owned a farm near my new college town.  When I arrived at college, I looked up Cynthia and introduced myself.  We became fast friends!  I spent a great deal of time on Cynthia’s farm during my college years.  I rode her big mare all over the countryside.  I made Cynthia and her friends laugh hysterically when they took me to the county racetrack and put me on a racehorse.  I was supposed to circle the racetrack once and stop, but the horse grabbed the bit in its mouth and got away from me.  He kept going … and going … and going … until he tired (I was tired pretty much after the first revolution).  We also visited flea markets, a popular lake, and we explored restaurants.  Cynthia paid me to clean her house so that as a poor college student, I had some spending money.  These were really good times and I remember them fondly!

I called Cynthia a few weeks ago.  She has since divorced and moved to Wyoming.  Unfortunately, she is feeling the effects of severe arthritis.  We had a wonderful talk!  After we hung up, I looked through my photographs and picked out a few pictures I thought she would enjoy because it has been decades since we have seen each other.  I sent her the pictures and a long letter.  She called me after receiving the pictures and the letter.  Her closest friend had died a couple of days before she received the pictures (but after our phone call).  Cynthia said that she felt very alone after her friend died, and that my letter and the photos meant a great deal to her.

Touch base with an old friend!  It will make you smile and warm up an old friend’s heart!  Let me know how it goes!