There’s nothing like looking into your eyes, seeing the
sweetness behind them.
Eyes that said
“I love you.”
Eyes that said
“I will always protect you.”
You were one of the best things to ever happen to me.
To us.
But our lives
have changed.
They’ve changed the moment you
left us.
For it’s hard to remember what life was like before we
met you.
To remember a time when you weren’t
with us.
Three years ago, I watched you in our backyard.
You stood motionless in the snow with your pink coat on,
not walking round and sniffing the ground like you usually would.
In those very moments, it seemed to me that you
were off.
It seemed to me that you
were different.
Something was wrong.
I just didn’t know what.
On a February afternoon, I watched you
curled up inside your bed.
It was the last day I
saw you.
Were you in pain?
Your tail still wagged when I came and
spoke to you.
Were you in pain?
You barely let it show.
It was only after Mom and Dad came back from the vet without you that I discovered
how sick you were.
We loved you dearly, but we didn’t want you to
keep suffering.
Days, weeks, months after you passed, I’d lie in my bed at night, hearing your
paws tap on the floor even when you
weren’t there.
Hearing you bark in the other room even when you
weren’t there.
It didn’t feel right that you were gone.
It was your house that we lived in just as much as it was
ours.
Gracie, you were such a pleasure.
You were more than just a pet to us,
you were family.
A life without you in it would have meant 12 years devoid of joy only
you could bring.
We were lucky to
have you.
Even though you’re no longer here, we keep you alive with
memories and photos.
No one lives forever, but it doesn’t mean that you
should ever be forgotten.
You never will be.
That’s a promise.
