I would choose to do it again.

We who choose to surround ourselves
with lives even more temporary than our own
live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
we still would live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only certain immortality,
never fully understanding the necessary plan.

-- Irving Townsend, in The Once Again Prince

Comments

[Laughing Muse]

This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing with all of us who share our lives with our pets.

[Julie]

How very sad.... As you know, Kris, I lost my little Marlee in a very different way a week ago. I share your sadness so much. And just this past week Dewey Readmore Books, the library cat of the Spencer Public Library in Iowa, died too. I sent them my condolences as well.

I like to think that Marlee and Jack and Dewey are all visiting together in the pet afterlife, where dogs and cats get along, and they are all comparing notes about us silly humans. . . and how much they loved us and will miss us as well.