I have been working on a painting for the next Magic Barn book about the piglets, who were very rebellious and often escaped and roamed about, though their mother was frantically calling for them to come back.
I added the banty hens, the cat, the hollyhocks and morning glories and what the heck, why not the family dogs just chilling on the front lawn? Coincidentally, the first dogs I painted looked exactly like Misty, my Labrador, and Stosh, our beagle. So much so that I was suddenly there-it was summer, I was barefoot and I was going to chase the piglets back to their pen. Stosh and Misty were alive again.
This gave me a terrible jolt. The dogs are long dead. I never much liked Stosh and I never loved Misty as she deserved. She was a replacement for my beloved puppy that had died. Funny how even animals are irreplacable. Funny how I regret not loving Misty better after all these years.
I took excellent care of her, don’t get me wrong, but I think you know what I mean. If even an animal is irreplacable, how much should we cherish human beings? In the end, will our biggest regrets be that we did not love enough-or show the love we did feel?
Go pet your dog, tell her she is the best dog in the whole wide world.
Then tell someone you love
that you love them.
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