Ma Vie and Rose

Ma Vie and Rose: Portrait of Zoë

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I feel inadequate to paint even this one. It's funny how you frequently pick a name for your pup within minutes after the first meeting, and then he or she spends his/her life being the very definition of it.

Zoë (life in Greek) radiated life herself and, more, she shared it with us in every possible way. Full of joyous energy and the faithful, fun and protective Rottie to the core, she brought me light in one of the darkest times of my life. She showed me the beauty in life and gave me a reason to live it when I struggled in illness to find it. And she brought eleven beautiful other lives into the world, sharing her motherhood with me and giving me the gift of being able to care for little ones - something I'd dreamed of from childhood, but which circumstance didn't allow me to have through children of my own.

I can't paint a portrait that would bring across even a fraction of how much beauty in this one glorious life or how much beauty she brought to ours. Thank you, my gorgeous girl. I love you so much and miss your shining presence every day - and will until we're together again. Thank You, Lord, for the incredible gift of knowing this life.