A New Soul

Happy news. Our new family member will be a 9-month-old chocolate lab who is sweet, very sensitive, and people-oriented. She'll be arriving next week. The Runner commented that my face broke into its first genuine smile since K's death when we made this decision.

I believe that she is the kind of soul who I'll be able to form a deep bond with, the kind that K taught me all about. A few sentences written by the owner of our new pup's sister ("Rush") made the decision. Our pup is much like Rush in terms of personality. So, when I read the owner's words, K's spirit told me - this is the "one".

Rush's owner wrote (FYI, "Lottie and Rip" are our pup's parents too):
"Rush (my girl) is my life, I love her more than words can express. When she looks at me I can't imagine how I could love anything more than I do her, when she moves, I move. I have never had a bond with a dog the way I am with her, she sees nothing else. Lottie and Rip pups do that, they make you feel like you are their entire world and that nothing else matters to them but you.

I know that the thought of missing out on the cute stage in life is scary, but I can tell you that one glance from Rush warms my heart enough for an entire lifetime."

That last phrase about "one glance" is something that I could have written about K. The instant that I read it, I knew. This pup is right for me.

This decision has come with a roil of emotions. I am happy to have such a sweet spirit to look forward to nurturing and loving. At the same time, it makes K's loss even more real. I never, in a million years, would have imagined that K would be gone before she turned 9 years old. I never would have imagined that last year's birthday celebration would be K's last. So, I am riding waves of emotions - a wild mix of hopefulness about our new pup and grief about K. Regardless, I know that this pup will help me heal, and I feel certain that K approves of anything that will help me be happy. After all, K loved nothing more than to make me smile and laugh.

Almost a year ago, on her birthday, K and I climbed a mountain in celebration. She beamed at me, giving me one of those glances that "warmed my heart enough for an entire lifetime".

Thank you, K, for teaching me so much about love. Our new pup will thank you a million times over for all that you taught me. Please keep watching over us.