Flowers for a dog: It's not barking mad

That's right. My puppy got a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a get-well note last week. "Being under a car can make you feel under the weather," says the note, adding that hopefully Bella will be chasing balls again soon. Bella is - amazingly - back to her old self after tasting the front bumper of the neighbor's minivan. I was sure she would be dead, but I arrived in tears at the emergency animal clinic that night to find her limping and shaking, but otherwise OK. A set of X-rays the next day confirmed that there were no broken bones, and she had no signs of internal injuries. Now, almost two weeks later, her limp is gone. She has no signs of trauma, save for a need to stay a little closer to my heels. We are unbelievably lucky.

I used to silently mock people who treated their pets like people, who pampered them and dressed them and spent hundreds of dollars to keep them alive in situations more dire than this. "It's just an animal," I used to think. "Get a little perspective." I just didn't get people who were devastated by the death of their pet. Let me tell you something: Having my little friend with me for the past 10 months has taught me a lot about having a judgmental spirit. Bella has brought great joy to my heart during a stressful, difficult season. She reminds me what pure love is, and she makes me laugh when the world makes me want to cry. She has reminded me that you never really understand what someone's going through unless you've walked the same road. Now I understand those people I used to inwardly mock. I understand the love for an animal that makes you weep when you think they've died. And the same lesson applies to any number of situations. Single parenting is harder than married or single people can fathom. Difficult marriages are harder than happily married people or single people can imagine. Singleness is harder than happily or unhappily married people can believe. We are so, so quick to judge. Bella has taught me more about humility and extending grace to others than I ever would have dreamed.

So thank you, little one. And thanks for the flowers, Auntie Lee.