Quade: Terrilynn and I first met in junior high. We went on one date but I was too fearful to accept her later invitation to the Sadie Hawkins Dance. We lost touch after high school and did not reconnect until we met up at our 45th high school reunion. We began talking and started to see each other.

Terrilynn was living in her childhood home at the time. There was a tree in the yard that was special to her. She had planted it when she was just a girl and often talked to it. One day we had a date planned and she came home to meet me. She saw me sitting at the base of that tree to get a sense of its energy and connect with it. Terrilynn says it was like the universe hit her in the head with a ‘gong’ and that she should pay attention to this man’s depth of caring.

We continued to see each other on a regular basis. Things started to get quite serious between us after I slipped on ice outside her house and broke my right fibula. She basically moved in with me after that and helped me heal.

Terrilynn had two Eleven-year-old Schnauzers who were brothers but we had to put one of them, Hardley, down due to his failing health. The other one, Tank, found himself without any remaining siblings. His sense of loss was severe and he became quite depressed. Terrilynn suggested we go to the Dumb Friends’ League to see if there was a dog there available for adoption that would be a fit for us.