Sante's Eyes

Sante's Eyes - A Piano Solo

Recorded August 17, 2020

In memory of  our beloved labrador crosses, Sante and Beau...

On the night before we had to say goodbye to our gorgeous puppy of 16 years, I sat down at the piano and played this piece. For our first anniversary, my lovely wife Sarah and I thought we'd look for a fur baby. We went down to the local pet shop and there was a litter of about 7 puppies. One puppy just stared an unblinking stare and the instant we saw her we fell in love. She had the softest eyes. She was the runt of the litter but we didn't care.

When we told the shop owner we'd like to take her, they did a quick check over and as they did, they found a small cavity in her sternum and said there was no way they could sell her until they could take her to the vet and check it out. So we had to wait.

When we got the call, the shop owners told us that she has a small cavity in her sternum that they can't repair and they don't feel comfortable selling her to us as they could not say whether she would live to be even a year. We said we didn't care, that she is the one that we want. So they gave her to us.

I asked my wife (who happens to be Canadian) what Health means in French. She said "Sante", and that's how Sante got her name - as a blessing for health, so that every time we say her name we speak health over her. I know it sounds mystical, but there is real power in a name. 

Well, the dog that wasn't meant to live for a year was with us, standing by our side for over 16 years! She was such a sweetheart and I still miss her. 

We reluctantly got Sante a little fur brother called Beau a couple of years after we got Sante. Beau was a ball of energy, and was a faithful companion for many years. But as we moved to Esperance, I noticed a massive lump on his neck.

With great sadness, we made the decision to say goodbye to both Sante and Beau together. We knew that Beau would not know what to do without his big sister, and he was getting older too and in a lot of pain.

That last week was tough, but we made sure that they knew they were loved. And this simple little piano tune came out of that time, with me hoping that I would remember Sante's (and Beau's) eyes and not forget what they meant to us.

At some stage I'll probably do this up properly, but the most amazing thing about music is the way that it can capture a moment of time and take you back there.

💟 Sante and Beau, thanks so much for what you brought into our lives. 💟

Sante: 2005-2020

Beau: 2007-2020