A New Normal

Six months. I could not have made it without my Chinooks. Someone to talk to. Someone to grieve with. Someone to be pissed at.  Someone to laugh at. Someone to snuggle with. Someone to love and receive unconditional love from. I am so alone and yet not alone. Dave and I were together for 41 years minus 14 days. I have his stuff, his clothing, pictures of him, smells of him but not him. Memories haunt. Overwhelming grief devours unexpectedly.  How does anyone endure such a great loss, such a great emptiness, without love of other beings? I am so lucky to have Cedar, Koyuk and Trask.
The eyes tell of shared loss and grief. These pictures were taken shortly after Dave's death.

We are now coping and still cuddling. The dogs, as well as me, know he is gone from our lives. As a new normal dawns, I am seldom without a dog seeking me out and touching me. The bed is crowded with each trying to maintain as much body contact as possible. We are keeping the same daily schedule but with new twists. They know. I know. Nothing will be the same ever again. We are coping. We are cuddling in our shared grief.