We all remember the day they entered our lives
The moment we first saw them
Tiny, adorable, and eyes filled with curiosity and wonder
Suddenly, they are everywhere, taking up space
On our beds, in every room, and in the deepest parts of our hearts
They were often our opposites
Loud when we were quiet
Energetic when we were tired
Unapologetically themselves and relentlessly loving when our insecurities got too much
Somehow, they always knew exactly what we needed
When loneliness crept in, they’d demand our attention with a paw to the leg or a wet nose pressed against our hands
When sadness weighed heavy, they’d curl up without a sound, their quiet presence saying everything words couldn’t
We vented to them about our worst days, and they’d listen with the same seriousness they gave to a rustling chip bag
We cried in front of them, and they answered not with advice, but with a nuzzle, a lick, or the gentle, solid weight of their head on our lap
Then there are the magical, ridiculously happy moments
When their antics brought in heaps of smile and waves of happiness now that we look back
The sock thefts and the shoe nibbling
The zoomies around the house at 2 a.m.
The way they somehow always found the one forbidden chair to nap on
The way they knew the exact moment we opened a snack, even from three rooms away and made barking demands to make us give in
These memories are vivid and bittersweet
And the loss of them leaves a silence that’s hard to explain
It’s not just the missing sounds
The barking, the meowing, the pattering paws
It’s the missing feeling
The sense that someone was always happy just because you existed
But even in their absence, their love doesn’t leave
It stays
It grows quieter, maybe, but it becomes part of who we are
We carry them with us
We smile when we find an old toy hidden behind the couch
We pause to appreciate a slow sunset, remembering the walks we shared
We miss them
Every day
And we hold onto the hope that someday, somehow, we’ll see them again
Tails wagging, eyes bright, ready to take up all the space in our hearts once more
Until then, they are with us
Always
