Remember the Day?

Remember the day you first left home

and knew that you would never return?

I thought of my small dog today. Does she

remember her mother? Does she live her

life mourning the loss? She wags her tail

each time I pass, but she knows that I am

but a substitute for the caring her mother

gave. I do my best to provide her with

all the things I perceive a dog needs. I

feed her timely each day. I take her for

walks, and toss her favorite toy across

the room so that she can play fetch. It

seems to me that for the most part she

is pleased. I surrender my lap to her as a

safe and comforting place in which to nestle

and rest. This is a symbiotic relationship we

share. Our mothers are gone and this is the

best of what we have left. Remember that

day you left home knowing that you would

never return? As the next best thing, I am

ever grateful that you chose to bond with me.

What’s more, you couldn’t care less that I have

taken off my shoes and socks, leaving them in a

cluttered heap on the floor.

Chris Hanch 12-18-17