The Journey
When you bring a pet into your life, you begin a journey-a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also test your strength and courage. If you allow, the journey will teach you many things about life, yourself, and most of all love. You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.
Along the way you will learn much about savoring life's simple pleasures, jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joys of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears. If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will be not just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be, the one they were proud to call beloved friend.
I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets one day, your dear animal companion will follow a trail you cannot yet go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go. A pet's time on earth is far too short-especially for those that love them. We borrow them really just for awhile and during those brief years they are generous enough to give us all their love, every inch of their spirit and heart until one day there is nothing left.
The young pup of boundless energy wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle now gray. Deep down we somehow always know that this journey would end. We knew that if we gave them our hearts they would be broken. But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead- young and whole once more. Godspeed good friend, we say, until our journey comes full circle and we meet again...