Dan Gemeinhart

Everybody oughta have a dog," he said thoughtfully, his hand still scratching Beau. "Dogs teach you love and kindness. They remind you what's important." He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "A life ain't much of a life without a dog in it, s'what I always said.

I was alone alright. And life surely had been a hard trial for me, so far. From the time mama and Katie fell sick, life had been one misery after another.But here I was. Still with breath in my lungs. And blood in my veins. And memories and voices in my heart. Good ones. And life was going on, all around me. With or without me, it was going on.It weren't a matter of the whole thing stopping or the whole thing going on. The whole thing was going on. It was only a matter of me standing up and deciding what part I had to play in it all.I could be the quitting kind. Or not. I could be the kind of man my mama and papa had raised, or not.I rose to my feet and did the best I could to scrape the worst of the mud off my coat and pants."Sarah's going to be somebody's horse," I said to myself. "And I'm sure as hell gonna make sure she's mine.

I was strong from losing them, maybe, but any goodness in me came from having them." (p. 124)

Dogs die. But dogs live, too. Right up until they die, they live. They live brave, beautiful lives. They protect their families. And love us. And make our lives a little brighter. And they don't waste time being afraid of tomorrow.