A Celebration of Life

Today my divorce finalized. There are so many things that I'm feeling and thinking - it has been a roller coaster six months - but I don't want to write about those things. Today, I want to celebrate the life of a sweet, four-legged friend that made my life infinitely better by being a part of it.

In September of last year, I went to pick up Roscoe. I'd spent quite awhile researching different breeds, and once I decided on a Labradoodle, I searched for the perfect breeder for weeks. She was located awhile away, but worth the drive. When I got there, this precious little squishy ball of fur crawled all over me, licking as fast and as much as he could.

He kept me awake through the night for months, but he was ridiculously fun. He was mischievous, and he got into anything and everything that he wasn't supposed to.

We went on walks at the park, and he made friends with everyone that he met. He loved riding in the car.

At night, when the day was ending and it was quiet, he would jump on the couch (something I swore I'd never let him do) and curl up next to me and sleep. He was the best cuddle buddy.

When his dad and I separated earlier this year, he went to live with him. He went to work with him every single day, and their bond was fierce, so it was the right thing to do. But even though he didn't live with me, I saw him very frequently, and every single time his entire body shook with excitement to see me. He would bound up and greet me with kisses all over, just like he did when he was a baby.

We found out he had cancer, and he deteriorated quickly; I didn't even know that puppies could get cancer. And two days ago, we made the difficult decision to put him to sleep. His dad held him, and he wasn't scared or upset. He went happily, surrounded by people that loved him. We buried him under a beautiful shade tree.

Had I been writing a book, I would have changed the details. A death and a divorce in the same week is too much, I would have rationalized. Unfortunately, we don't always get to choose our circumstances, and we're forced to be strong, when we feel that we cannot.

Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, I saw this beautiful rainbow. The picture doesn't do it justice - it was vivid and bright, and oh so big. It's the second one I've seen in a week. And it was a good reminder.

Ready or not, Kris, it's time for a fresh start.