We had the privilege of having Willow in our lives for almost 11 years, and we lost her in November 2021. She made a paw print shaped impression on our hearts that will last a lifetime. We will be forever grateful for the love and laughter she gave us and the lessons she taught us.

Through Willow, God taught us some great life lessons. God created the animals, after all, and He created Willow. Over the years, Willow taught us about unconditional love, to be tough, not to worry, and to be still.

Willow taught me how to love unconditionally. She lived out loud the love of God into our lives. She was patient, kind, not prideful, arrogant or rude. Willow was never resentful and didn't rejoice in wrongdoing. Because of this, her love never ends. She taught us to live love out loud. To be kinder to one another. She taught us that love never fails.

Willow taught me to be tough. She suffered with epilepsy her entire life and never let it get her down. She still played and was silly. Toward the end, she came down with lymphoma. She handled the meds with grace. She showed true grit to the very end, even jumping up on the bed to awaken us in the mornings when she thought we should be up (4:00 a.m.). She never complained. She took what she was dealt and determined to do what she wanted each day despite it all.

She taught me not to worry. She trusted us with her life. Willow knew we would feed her and provide fresh water. She never worried we would not. She trusted that no matter what we did to her, even toward the end with numerous trips to the vet and administering medications, we would never harm her. Isn’t that how we should be toward our Heavenly Father? No matter what circumstances come our way, we can trust that He will provide for us and never harm us. We only need to trust Him.

Finally, Willow taught me to be still. Willow loved to sit in the sunshine and soak it in. Whether it was in the front door in the morning sun or in the dining bow window in the afternoon sun, she loved it. She taught me to sit still in the Son-light and soak it in. It can be a precious time if we’d only make the time. It can warm us and comfort us just like the sunshine did for our sweet Willow.

Willow, my heart is still broken from losing you. However, to quote Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Goodbye sweet Willow.