Sadie and I have downsiized. When the opportunity came to sell our house...that was way too big for just the two of us...we took it. Maybe we are guilty of leaping before looking, but the deal is done...the moving sale over...all the taping and packing and lugging and tugging...done... and now we just walk by our former house and don't go in.

     I was worried since we have only temporiraly moved just acrss the street with Sadie's Dad in a small condo...that Sadie would be confused...that she would tug on her leash and want to go into the yard or up on the front porch. I avoided going that way on our walks opting instead of goiung out a different entrance and staying away from our old street.

     Of course, I couldn't do that forever and have since rented a garage right next to our old digs, so the day came when there we were...both of us on the sidewalk out front of our former home. Sadie put her front paws on the first step ...she sniffed...she looked the big house up and down...I watched her and began to cry...memories of this house are sweet. This is where I brought Sadie home to...it is where she went through her puppyhood ..where I hung her firs Christmas stocking...where she learned how to open the door of the kitchen island where her treats were kept  and where I learned what love...unconditional and all consuming love was  about...this was where I lived for five years before Sadie came along...and an extra five years where it became a home for us...a reall home...not jusst a beautiful place to live.

      Sadie went no further than the first step. She lingered there...sniffing the air...and then she turned around...stood up on her hind legs...and leaned against me...the most comforting gesture I have ever experienced. Sadie's wisdom never ceases to amaze me. Our time in that house is over and Sadie sensed it. I got down on my knees to hold her and as I cried, she licked my tears as she has so many, many times in the past. That simple familiar act sent waves of peace through me...she knew we had moved on....now I needed to accept it too.

     And so we walked on...two spirits united by love...the past...and having a future to figure out now. Where will we next call home...what will our new dog house be like...where will we go? No answers yet...a temporary haven with someone we both love...a new book in the works...a whole new world to contemplate. In our new small place...it seems our hearts have grown...to accept change...be tolerant as we step over things and each other...and the person we love who has opened their home to us while we all three decide...what's next. By enlarging our hearts in our new small space...its funny...but we've made our world bigger too. And now...just where the three of us go next is quite a neat thing to ponder. Stay tuned.