Three days ago my heart prompted me to post this message;

“YEARS AGO WHEN MY DOG WAS YOUNG, I trained him to do things like fetch the ball, roll over, or shake hands. He wasn’t good at all of these, but one thing he is good at is waiting for me. He faithfully waits for me to come to my office and he walks with me wherever I go. That makes him so dear to my heart. Maybe he does not do much, but he is always there for me, present and waiting. I remember the feeling of a little boy waiting for Papa to come home from work. As soon as he arrives, nothing else mattered anymore. What mattered was that he is home. Let us not become so absorbed for material things and neglect those people waiting for our love, care, and attention.”

Last night sadly Noah our family dog passed away. As I sat there holding my emotion watching my Son and Katrina overwhelmed with the range of emotions including shock, denial, disbelief, confusion, yearning, sadness, anger, and the feeling of numbness. I am sure they wondered, “Why did Noah die? Where would he go? Where can I go to meet him? What is this thing ‘death’ that has robbed us of our beloved pet? What, after all, is life?”

The impermanence of life is an inescapable fact. Yet while it is one thing to know, in theory that each moment of your life may be the last, it’s much harder to actually live and act, on a practical level, based on that belief. Most of us tend to imagine that there will always be another chance to meet and talk with our love ones, friends or relatives again, so it doesn’t matter if a few things go unsaid.

Knowing that there are no words that can heal the hearts of my Son and Katrina. I just simply sat down at their side and not saying a word. Even if no words are exchanged, the warm reverberations of concern from deep will be felt. In my view, the bonds that link with our pets and people are not a matter of this lifetime alone. And because those who have died in a sense live on within us, our happiness is naturally shared with those who have passed away.

Through struggling to overcome the pain and sadness that accompanies death, we become more aware of the dignity of life and can come to share the sufferings of others as our own. It is certainly true that we cannot avoid experiencing the sadness of separation in this life. That is why whenever I meet someone a stranger or a friend, I always try to extend myself to them to the utmost, for that may be my last encounter with them. I never leave room for regret, aiming to concentrate my whole being in each moment as a pleasant memory to those I met.

~ Ed Murillo