Acts of kindness

Today, after returning from our trip to California, we had a package from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Science, which is where we took Molly when she died. Inside was a round clay imprint of Molly's paw that was decorated and had her name on it. The vet had asked us if we wanted them to send this to us the day we took Molly there, but I wasn't entirely sure what it was. It's beautiful and became instantly precious to me.

When I first opened it, I spent a few minutes looking over it, running my finger through the print and feeling the grooves and the shape of her little paw print. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It hurt knowing I would never feel her warm, delicate little paw again, but I am thankful to have this memento of her.

The vet school did not charge us for this special gift, and I can't say enough good things about our experience with them. Through one of the worst days of our lives, the people at the vet school did everything they could to help us cope and to find answers, and treated us with the utmost compassion and respect. They never made Jon or I feel like our pain was unwarranted or excessive. I'm not sure we can thank them enough.