Dear memory,

I remember the warmth and energy of this moment with my favorite childhood pet. Seeing my family so happy with our dog Lucky, who died, reminds me of all the good times he brought to our family. You’ve passed, but you will never be forgotten.

I remember the exact day this photo was taken. It was a typical, freezing cold, Michigan weather kind of day, with several feet of white snow piled on the ground. My whole family went Up North to Gaylord to my grandparents’ place where a recollection of impactful events transpired. This was the first time we took my dog. I was so excited to have Lucky come since I was obsessed with him. I had to make sure he got in the family picture and that I got to hold him. Call me ridiculous, but that dog had my heart from the first time I laid my eyes on it. One time I even gave Lucky a beaded necklace that matched my own, so that we were always connected. Everything about him was so perfect and precious. From the way he would come snuggle with you when you needed it most, to the times when he wasn’t potty trained, either way, he was perfect to me. I think it’s crazy to imagine how attached I could get in such a little time. I felt whole whenever I was in the presence of him. I couldn’t have asked for a better first dog. He was Lucky, but I was the lucky one.

It was a very long three hour drive to Gaylord, but having Lucky in the car with us this time, made the usually dreadful drive not so bad. I recall holding Lucky in my arms the whole way there, never wanting to let go of something so precious. We always had to make so many stops because someone always had to go to the bathroom and now we had to get the dog out to go to the bathroom periodically. I always knew we were getting close when we would drive over the curvey, hilly, dirt roads. Or when I saw other people riding their snowmobiles down the roads as this is something you wouldn’t see back home. Or when we passed the ice cream store that we go to every day in the summer. So many memories. Eventually, we made it to my grandparents’ place, and quickly got settled in. The first thing I wanted to do was go play in the snow with Lucky, but my mom insisted that we had to put our bags in our rooms and settle in first.

Up North, we would always snowmobile in the winter, but now we had something else to do when we weren’t snowmobiling: play with a dog! There was not a second I didn’t want to spend with Lucky. I often would get up very early in the morning, early enough to see the pretty combination of the pink, purple, and orange colored sunset just to get him food or take him outside; Lucky definitely helped me become more responsible. I would put on his tiny dog coat, and head outside to play with him, many times throughout the day. I would throw a stick and watch this little dog so determined to find the stick,  threw inches of snow to get it. Lucky was determined to find the stick like a bear is determined to protect its cubs. It was funny to see such a tiny dog so determined to get stick I had just thrown, yet it was also admirable. We would take Lucky with us on little rides to the restaurants we ate at frequently. I loved the snowmobile rides, but I hated the cold. Are we almost there yet? I wondered every 5 minutes. Although, the freezing cold weather was worth it for memories that will forever be with me.

Oh, how I miss the simple times like this, where the little things like playing with my dog brought so much joy into my life. I feel as we get older, we lose the joy from the little things that once brought us happiness. I realized this when my dog Lucky died. He wasn’t so lucky. I never would have thought it could end so soon, as his death took us all by surprise since he was still pretty young. I still remember the day when I found out, like it was just yesterday. My whole family was gathered in the living room, even my grandparents were with us, when my parents told us the bad news of Lucky’s death. Who will be my best friend now? What will I do for fun? Did he go to heaven? So many unstoppable questions filled my empty brain. When we buried him, I put the beaded necklace that I gave him on his grave and kept mine in a safe spot, so that I’d always remember him. To this day I still have the matching necklace and even though he’s gone, I still feel connected to him. Without him, I didn’t know what to do with my free time anymore. Looking back, I wish I would have cherished these moments more as unpredictable events in life happen when you least expect them. I really started to understand how much of an impact he had on my life as a whole. I changed a lot. I became quieter and less motivated to go outside. I did want another dog, in hopes the feeling of friendship I had with this new dog would be the same as Lucky, but of course it wasn’t; and that’s when I faced the fact that he is irreplaceable. Not a day goes by where I don't miss Lucky. Rest In Peace.