On Thursday, Patt and I had to say goodbye to Maxine, our beloved 15-year old pug. Life had become hard for her and for us. Patt and I miss her terribly–her pug companion Olive does not appear to miss her at all. But we are really missing Maxine as she had been, not as she was at the end.

Every death should be a celebration of life–my children can quote that later. A death after a full and good life is not a tragedy. Rather, death forms the canvas on which we paint our lives. Without death, our lives would be free verse, not the classic form of poetry that they are. Now we know, really know, that our time is precious and our loved ones treasures.

I wrote twice about Maxine in my book The Universe Is on Our Side. The first time about Maxine at 13 and in good health. But in the Afterword, I wrote about Maxine after her serious health problems had begun: “Maxine is a daily miracle. Our love for her, and hers for us, is a truth about the universe. It is a truth of eternal significance. It will endure after she is gone. After we are gone. And after this universe is gone.”