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Thanks for the memories

Chris Graham

Stop the Presses column by Chris Graham
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312_stopthepresses.jpgFunny how life can be.
I was reading a magazine the other day, and came across an ad that later made my mom break down in tears of utter sadness.
“This is so eerie,” I said to my wife, pointing to the ad, which featured a dog sleeping with a stuffed animal in a spot promoting a bank that I am guessing was meant to get readers to think about security or some such related concept.

The eerie thing was how the dog was a spitting image of my mom’s dog, Ted, who we had to have put to sleep earlier this year.
I say we, and I mean I. Mom was too torn up to even be around when I picked him up to take him to the vet – leaving me to be the person from the family to be on hand to hold him down while the doctor did the deed.

It wasn’t the kind of thing that I would ever look forward to again – Ted was just a fluff of fur when I met him for the first time, on a visit home from college, and even as he grew into a 60-pound ball of energy he seemed to live life like the puppy that he was back then.
So when I saw the ad featuring Ted – I swear they had to have taken a picture of the old boy from one of our photo albums, the likeness was so similar – it was something that made me smile.
Which gets me to how I found out that Mom still wasn’t taking the loss that well.

“You’re not going to believe this,” I said as I fumbled for the magazine, then turned the page to the ad.
She left the room visibly shaken, not saying a word.
This story has a happy ending. Crystal found another picture of Ted on her computer from a few years ago and had it made into a Christmas ornament.
Mom didn’t cry at the sight of Ted this time – though I wouldn’t have faulted her if she had.

After all, there’s a reason that I keep that old magazine ad around – and it ain’t because I’m interested in what that bank was trying to sell me.

     

Chris Graham is the executive editor of The Augusta Free Press.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].