The Last Footprint

Tomorrow, it will be one year since we lost Max,our German Shepherd.  It did not seem real that day - coming home from the final visit to the vet and opening the front door, it seemed as if Max was just around the corner.  Except for his absence by my chair, life felt like it was going on around us as if nothing had happened.  The other dogs were milling around, looking for their dinner. The cats were curled in their regular places, opening an eye to see what was happening and then slowly going back to sleep again.

The next day we took the Shelties for their regular early morning walk.  It was light enough to see Max's footprints from his last walk with us.  I kept looking at the prints in the snow, feeling the pain of knowing he was no longer with us.  One day ...there...the next ..gone.

The weather held for several days and each time I looked at the footprints I would remember my big goofy boy and how he loved to be out walking with the pack every day.  I decided I should take a photo with my cell phone ...and the next day, the weather changed and the prints faded from sight.  But he will never fade from my heart.