Where running feels like freedom

 Where running feels like freedom.

I like to imagine that's where you are now.

Not because it makes losing you easier...

But because love needs somewhere beautiful to place the ones it cannot hold anymore.

I close my eyes, and I don't see hospitals.

I don't see slow steps.

I don't see tired eyes or aching joints.

I don't see the day we had to say goodbye.

I see you running.

The way you used to when the leash came off and the whole world became yours for a little while.

Your ears dancing in the wind.

Your tail wagging so hard your whole body couldn't help but join in.

That joyful look that always seemed to say,

"Watch me... I'm happy."

I hold on to that version of you.

Not because I want to forget the difficult days...

But because they were never the whole story.

You were never your pain.

You were never your illness.

You were never the gray around your muzzle or the stiffness in your walk.

You were laughter racing across a field.

You were muddy paws after the rain.

You were the excitement of hearing my voice.

You were love wrapped in fur.

So when my heart wonders where you are...

It doesn't picture an ending.

It pictures an endless meadow.

Soft grass bending beneath your paws.

Wildflowers brushing against your legs.

A cool stream sparkling under the morning sun.

Butterflies floating just far enough ahead to make you chase them.

Other beloved dogs running beside you, every one of them whole again.

No one is left behind there.

No one grows old.

No one waits for medicine or struggles to stand.

Only joy.

Only peace.

Only freedom.

And sometimes...

When the wind suddenly rushes through the trees or a rainbow appears after a quiet rain...

I smile instead of cry.

Because for just a moment...

It feels like you're running again.

Not away from me.

Toward everything your heart deserved.

One day...

When my own journey is complete...

I won't call your name wondering if you'll hear me.

I'll hear the thunder of happy paws before I even speak.

I'll see you racing across those endless green hills with the same excitement you always had whenever I came home.

You'll leap into my arms as if we had only been apart for an afternoon.

No tears.

No pain.

No final goodbye.

Just the happiest hello we've ever shared.

Until then...

Run as fast as your beautiful heart wants to.

Chase every breeze.

Splash through every stream.

Rest beneath every golden sunset.

And know this...

Every beat of my heart is cheering you on.

Because the place where you're running now...

Is the place where freedom finally feels like home.