I cannot say enough for the power of pets. They don’t judge you. They don’t expect you to be anything more than a warm lap and a filler of bowls, and even in the darkness, you can manage that. Especially in the darkness. 

Because when you are struggling sometimes all it takes is a snuggle or cuddle from a warm body, even if that warm body is a furry four-legged friend. 

And somehow they sense when you need them the most, and steal away some of your darkness without ever seeming to let it touch them. 

I found out that yesterday, my family’s dog passed away. She was my sister’s dog for a while, then stayed with my mom when my sister had to move to North Carolina for work. I took care of her for a while. And at times she took care of us all. 

She would sometimes have to be coaxed outside to pee if it was raining. Other times she’d bound off after a squirrel or rabbit (she never caught them, she didn’t seem to understand that when she moved they’d move, so she always got to the spot where they were, only to be confused). 

She was a good dog. And a little of the sadness she would take from me when I cared for her came back yesterday when I heard that she’d passed. Luckily I have other four-legged friends (as well as human ones) to help with the sad news.