Grief

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I awoke before the sun could break the horizon and realized where I was. This wasn’t my home but I was comfortable here. I slipped out of bed and gathered my journal, a bible and my music player. Trying to be quiet so I wouldn’t wake my friends, I snuck out a sliding glass door where my faithful, furry friend panted, happy to see me up. He’d been with me many years and we’d become quiet companions.

My heart hurt when I looked into his warm eyes. Petting him, I called him to come walk with me one last time. We walked down the sloping drive to the gate and I had him come outside the fences with me to sit in the grass. I was still in my pajamas and my feet were bare so I didn’t wander too far, but sat alongside a pasture filled with huge oak trees and wandering cows with their playful young calves.

My companion lay down beside me as he had done for years. He moaned wanting us to go play, but I sat still and so he shifted some to find his own comfort spot. Side by side we sat alone and watched as the sun rose behind the tall trees, lighting up distant hills. I wanted to linger in this moment. The sun would not stay down and time would not stand still, no matter how much I wanted it to. Soon it would be time to leave, and I felt the moment slipping away. One last time I lay down beside my friend, trying to comprehend when I would see him again, healthy and fit.

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