That’s his name, my friend’s dog. He was a rescue, and now enjoys spending his days on his own large puppy bed sleeping, snoring, and generally spending time with his owners. In this shot he has torn up the junk mail left on the coffee table…what a cute face!
Sometimes we just need someone in the room who cares – they don’t have to say anything, just be there – to let us know we are not alone.
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I posted this over three years ago, and today Diesel went to heaven. He was a valued friend and comrade, a member of a friend’s family and will be missed. I’m re-posting this as all week long I have had conversations with people who were struggling with losing a furry member of the family. It is one of the hardest things anyone will ever have to endure. These are not just animals who we care for, they care for us and teach us how to open our hearts and become better, more loving people.
Over the years I have said goodbye to many pets, and it never gets easier. We grow to love them in a way that many other people will never understand. They accept us no matter how we behave, or what we earn, or how we smell, or how inconsistently we greet them. They are always glad to see us and can see into our souls when no one else gets us. They are God’s gift to remind us that everything is not about us; caring for them forces us to think of others before ourselves and our needs. A pet’s love and companionship reminds us that the world is a better place when we love and care and bring joy to another creature.
I’m sad for our friends and know that this loss will stick like gum to their shoe for a while. It will feel like a hole is in their hearts that can never be healed. The house will feel empty and the sadness of the unused pet bed will be a hard one to pass without choking back a tear. In loving we risk pain, and we learn that life is precious no matter what shape it takes. In loving pets we know they will leave this world before we do, so we can be tempted to not want to face that pain again. But by closing ourselves off to pain we lose the blessing that unconditional love will provide. Nothing will ever love you, know you, support you like a pet. As humans we try, yet we could learn a thing or two by watching how our pets love us. Their gentle spirits and happy demeanor serve as an example that would make the world better if we all loved each other with such simplicity.
Thank you Diesel for touching our lives; you left us better than you found us.
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