The Swing I Wasn’t Ready For

There are some swings in life that we know are coming. We may not know exactly when they will arrive, but somewhere in our hearts, we understand that change is inevitable.

And then there are the swings we are simply not ready for.

Recently, our family had to say goodbye to our beloved dog.

Even writing those words feels difficult.

Anyone who has loved a dog knows that they are never just a dog. They quietly become part of the rhythm of your life. They are there in the morning. They wait for you to come home. They follow you from room to room. They somehow know when you need comfort without you ever having to ask.

Their presence becomes so familiar that it is difficult to imagine the house without them.

Until one day, you have to.

The Quiet Space They Leave Behind

After losing a pet, it is often the smallest things that hurt the most.

You notice the places where they used to sleep. You expect to hear familiar footsteps. You instinctively look toward the place where they would normally be.

The house hasn't changed, and yet somehow it feels completely different.

There is a particular kind of grief that comes with losing an animal who has been part of your family. Dogs don't ask us complicated questions. They don't care what kind of day we had, what mistakes we made, or whether everything in our lives is going according to plan.

They simply love us.

And perhaps that is why saying goodbye can hurt so deeply.

Another Swing of Life

For years, I have thought about life as a swing.

Sometimes we are moving forward, filled with excitement and possibility. Sometimes we are moving backward, uncertain about what comes next. There are moments when we feel almost weightless, and others when we hold on tightly because everything seems to be moving too quickly.

I created my painting Swing of Life around this idea, and later that same symbolism became the foundation for my book.

But every once in a while, life reminds me that the swing isn't simply something I painted or wrote about.

It is real.

Losing our dog was one of those reminders.

No matter how much we understand intellectually that our pets cannot stay with us forever, our hearts are never completely prepared for the day when they leave.

We always want one more day.

One more walk.

One more time seeing that familiar face looking back at us.

One more ordinary moment that, looking back, wasn't ordinary at all.

What Love Leaves Behind

Grief has a way of making us think about time differently.

We often move quickly through our days. There is always another responsibility, another deadline, another problem waiting to be solved.

But our animals seem to understand something that we sometimes forget.

They live in the moment.

A sunny place on the floor is enough.

Being close to the people they love is enough.

A familiar voice, a gentle touch, a walk outside—these simple things can make an entire day wonderful.

Maybe that is one of the greatest lessons they leave us.

To notice.

To appreciate.

To love without constantly worrying about what tomorrow might bring.

Holding On in a Different Way

I wish this were a swing I could reverse.

I wish I could push backward and return to one of those ordinary days when our dog was simply there and none of us were thinking about goodbye.

But life doesn't allow us to move backward that way.

We can only carry forward what remains.

The memories.

The photographs.

The funny little habits we will always remember.

And most importantly, the love.

As I prepare to share Swing of Life with the world, this experience has given the words behind that title an even deeper meaning for me.

We cannot control every swing.

We cannot prepare ourselves for every loss.

And we cannot hold on to everything we love forever.

But we can love fully while it is here.

And when life moves again—especially when it moves in a direction we never wanted—we can hold tightly to the memories, the lessons, and the love that remain.

Our beloved dog may no longer be walking through our home.

But the love is still here.

And I believe it always will be.

For anyone who has ever loved and lost a pet: I hope you know that the love they gave you doesn't disappear when they leave. It simply becomes something you carry with you.

Have you ever had to say goodbye to a beloved pet? If you feel comfortable, share their name or a favorite memory in the comments. I would love for this to be a little place where we can remember them together.