But here it is, we will accompany her to her death, cry loads, miss her tons, and bury her at one of our favorite spots (deep enough so the bears don’t dig her back up). And it will hurt like hell and we will keep living.
The fact that her matter and energy will be transformed from a lovely companion to memories and moss do not minimize the pain, but it does help me see differently. There is a transformation and continuation of life in the stories we tell and the land we hold and even in the presence we sense long after the pitter patter has stopped.
Humanity is different than canines, but I need to confess that I’m not a huge fan of the “soul”. I just don’t know what that means and if it is a little kernel of God or our spiritual self, then I’m going to have to admit that the dog probably witnesses to that much more than any of the rest of us.