Just to recap.

I know all too well that there was a fine line when it comes to grief. If you ignore it, it goes away, but then it always comes back when you least expect it. If you let it stay, if you make a place for it in your life, it gets too comfortable and it never leaves. It was best to treat grief like a guest. You acknowledge it, you cater to it, then you send it on its way.

When the time is right, we will get another dog. Or, like cats sometimes do, it may come into our lives like a stray, choosing us. Who knows?