"My Friend"

Dear Miss Lucy,

We met in the mid-00's, I was a newlywed and was living in a once-owned-by-Ryan Phillippe's-family townhouse. You were scared, anxious, and skinny. You were a stray, and we weren't sure how you got to that shelter. We adopted you to come live us. It seemed like you needed us.

Over the years, we've traveled together, shared holidays together, our family got bigger, and every single moment, you've been there. In every photo, you were never far behind. It'd become a bit of a game, "Where's Waldo?" nah, more like "Look For Lucy!" We'd watch TV or relax and you'd put your head on my lap and nap, that was called "the Lucy Special."

We said good bye this weekend, your last moment was with us, and you had your head on my lap. They said you had heart failure. I'm pretty sure maybe that's because you gave 100% of it to everyone you'd met and loved over the years. You know how at the beginning, you needed us? Now we needed you.

I currently sit here in an empty non-"Phillippe Family" house, right now, writing this. Looking at that empty foyer where you would sit so you could keep an eye on everything and everyone, and I'm thinking about what others would tell me when I'd tell them that you were a shelter pet "oh, you rescued her", but with you in my life, we'd walk in the mornings,, we'd find trails, jump in creeks and see so many things that I'd never have seen if you weren't there with me. "You rescued her"...no.

I'm pretty sure it was the other way around. 

I know you're in a more peaceful place, but we're going to miss you so much around here. I have no idea what I'm going to do during our 6am walk tomorrow. Love you, sweet girl, we will miss you.

Love,

Us