Stella

A happier realization just now. Stella our dog is curled up between us tonight. And I realize that I was not the only one going through a tough time on this day last year. Stella our dog was too. At this time last year, Stella was tied to a tether with 100 other dogs outside Hartsel, Colorado. She had not been fed for ten days, and would not be fed for fifteen more. A few dogs had died already, and many more would follow. I imagine it was brutally cold, made more so by the lack of food and nutrition. She must have been scared to death, wondering why her owners abandoned her so coldly. Hartsel sits at 9,000 feet above sea level…that she did not freeze to death is a wonder to me.

I decided to shoot a photo of Stella a few minutes ago:

75° degrees, a warm fire crackling and a human being to cuddle up with. Much better I think.

Elaine said it best. "This family is made up of survivors." I like that. We've each lost our old families, yet together gained a new one. The world works in strange ways. I'm not a religious person, but I believe out of the darkest dark will come the light of day that will shine so brightly on you.

Move forward always, progressing. But never forget where you came from, never forget the adversity, because it makes you very, very strong.