A time to mourn.

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 279

     I met my parents and my brother at the animal hospital tonight. Shane carried in our beloved girl, Dixie, wrapped in a blanket. We sat with her. We talked to her. We watched, heartbroken, as she left this life. And we cried some more. It is a time to mourn. We mourn her loss, we're so sad to have lost our girl, but at the same time, we know she's up there in heaven. Running. Sliding in snow. Eating good food. Catching up with old friends. We know we will see our girl again.

     And there's this: I went back to my parent's house to sit and talk for a bit after we left the animal hospital. My dad was just walking in from taking Goose and Duke out, and I was sitting in the living room talking to my mom and Shane. And we heard a bark. A bark we cannot explain. All three of us sat up with a start. Questioning. Puzzling. Shane ran to my dad to ask if he had heard it. He hadn't. Just the three of us. One single bark. Not from Goose or Duke. But from, we believe, our Dixie girl. One bark to tell us she's okay, she made the journey safely, and that she loves us.

     Thankful for Dixie. Missing her tonight.