When I was a child, my family had a greatly loved dog. She was very much a part of our family. When she unexpectedly died, I was heartbroken, and no one could comfort me. 

So, a year or so later, when my family decided to get another dog, I took a firm stand. I would have nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the new dog. I was determined never to have to go through the hurt of losing a pet again. But the dog our family welcomed was ever so patient with me, and over time he gently and easily found a place in my heart. 

This dog became a treasured part of our family, and by the time he “moved on” I had learned something about love—what I came to know later as divine Love. I’d recognized that the answer wasn’t to seal up my heart from loving so I wouldn’t ever hurt again, but to open my heart to love. This helped me see more clearly that the animal I’d loved and treasured still lived, even though I couldn’t see him physically.