The pain never completely goes away, does it? I still have "AHA" moments when the phone rings and I pick it up expecting to hear my mom on the other end - she died in 1994. Or something happens and I think to myself that I can't wait to tell my dad -- but he died in 2005. With pets, it's even more subtle -- you hear the sound of dogtags, toenails tapping on the floor, or just walking in the back door and you suddenly expect to be greeted by your dog.
But I can tell you that as time goes by, the sad moments come less and less often, and more of the time you can think about your lost loved ones with a smile. Now excuse me while I go home and hug my dog and my boyfriend (probably in that order) and remind myself to count my many blessings instead of my losses. Some days that's not so easy but we all just do the best we can, don't we? |