LOVE AT YOUR OWN RISK

One year ago in this space I wrote about what our beagle Rosie had taught me: unconditional love, wonder, dependence on others. But in November, Rosie started to refuse food, her favorite time of day. Over a few months she ate less and less and we soon learned that she was experiencing acute kidney failure. In March we buried her in the backyard under a beautiful, shady vine with a small concrete angel to mark the spot.

It was tough, and I’m not even a dog lover. She was a part of our family. Plus, she was so easy to make happy — so much easier than to make humans happy!

Having a pet signals a strange choice. We open our hearts to love these little creatures while knowing that we likely will watch them grow old, and that one day we will say goodbye. To love them is to accept their eventual departure. But we make the choice again and again.

Love is the great risk. When we love, we put our hearts on our sleeves and hope for the best, knowing that they could get tromped on. It’s the choice in marriage: for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. ‘Til death do you part.