Today is an anniversary I wish wasn’t here. It’s been six months since Karlie got her wings. Although that was the right decision and I don’t regret it, I am still trying to come to terms with her not being here. It’s hard to believe it’s been six months. Yet it feels like forever since I have seen her sweet face and beautiful smile in person. I think about her every day and miss her more than I can explain. Despite that I try not to wallow in my grief and am working on creating a new life and new memories with our puppy, Sunny.
I saw something the other day that sums it up pretty well. You don’t learn to live without her, you learn to live with her love in a different way. She is always with you and for me I am reminded of that in some of our special places – the backyard near the woods where we wandered and explored, on the bed where we snuggled every night, in the basement where we did laps with her wheels before she was ready to use them outside, on the water in our kayak, and on the trails where we walked miles and miles.
Those memories bring tears and smiles, which is just how I feel on this day. I miss her dearly, but am so happy to have been her best friend for 14.5 years. She battled GOLPP and kicked its butt for nearly 2 years, which was longer than I thought we would have. I feel lucky to have had that time and know that we did not waste one single minute. So today on the six month anniversary, although there are tears (especially as I write this), I am celebrating the wonderful life we had. And I am honoring her memory with this website and in the new life we are creating with Sunny. That brings a smile to my face. I hope Karlie is looking down on us and smiling too.
