December 17 has always been a difficult day for me ever since Bernie passed. That was his Gotcha Day and we always did something special for him. After we lost him, it became a day where I would dwell on his absence and think about how much I missed him and wished he were still alive.
I thought that day couldn’t get any harder for me. But then last year happened. Dessie had been ill and we took her to the vet. That turned into an all-day affair at the emergency clinic where we were told she needed surgery for a growth on her spleen. The next day, they told us they couldn’t operate since her kidneys were failing and we suddenly had a tough choice to make. Less than a week later, she was gone.
I’m sure they would want me to be happy today, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do that. Instead, I’ll reflect on their lives and how they gave us enough love and fulfillment to live another 20 lifetimes.
Immortality does not lie in everlasting life, but in the legacy of our actions,
Which endure in the memory and in the hearts of others.
From “The Epic of Gilgamesh”
