The Love That Stays

I haven’t been ready to share this until today.

To be honest, it’s still very raw.

My Bella is no longer here.

Almost 14 years is a long time to love something so deeply—and to suddenly feel that absence is something I don’t quite have words for yet. She wasn’t just a dog. She was a beautiful soul.

I’m not ready to fully revisit all the memories just yet… though they’ve already found their way out of my eyes and down my cheeks more times than I can count this past weekend.

Some people might say, “it’s just a dog.”

But it’s never just a dog.

It’s the quiet support when no one else is there.
It’s the memories tied to chapters of your life.
It’s the connection.
It’s the relationship.

Bella was there for me in ways that are hard to explain.

In the quiet.
In the darkness.
In the sadness.
In the joy.

She showed up, always—without condition, without expectation.

This is all I can give right now.

I will miss you forever, Bella Noodle.
You were truly an A+ dog.

Run free, my sweet girl.

Momsa Llamsa