The Sun Shines Less Brightly Today

Early yesterday morning, we had to say good-bye to our beautiful boy. 

If you've been coming 'round here for a while, you know what he meant to me. You know how much I loved him. You know that he rescued me at a dark time in my life... and rescued me a little more every day since. I have not been able to imagine my life without him... and so I haven't even tried.

But dogs age faster than humans. I've heard it said that we're here to become good - to become better, and because dogs are already good - they're already the best - they don't need to stay as long. That was certainly true of my boy. He was, very simply, the best. He left this life with a big piece of my heart. Indeed, it feels as though I've been kicked in the chest. Breathing is hard... it's painful. I'd forgotten how much this hurts physically.

I held him in my arms as he slipped away. I kissed the soft, warm, sweet spot on his forehead - the same one I've kissed a hundred-thousand times in the nearly-13 years he graced my world. I whispered in his ear that I would miss him. And I cried.

And I continue to cry.

My sweet, sweet Sunny-boy. I loved him so.