08/13/2025
Because They Were Mine Before They Were Yours
I knew them before the world did.�Before their eyes opened.�Before their hearts beat.
Before anyone knew they would exist
Before there was even a “them,” there was a hope I carried quietly in my chest.
I didn’t just plan for them I built my life around them.�I prepared for both miracles and heartbreak in the same breath.
I felt their first movements under my hand �tiny flutters that told me they were real.�I stayed when the hours turned to days,�when the air was thick with anticipation,�when silence was heavy until that first cry broke.
I learned their voices before they learned mine.�I could tell by a sound if they were hungry,�cold,or simply calling out to feel another heartbeat nearby.
I warmed fragile bodies against my own,
I fed the smallest one in the red light of 3 a.m.,�praying she would see another sunrise.�when that one slipped away in my arms,
and whispering “I’m sorry” through tears that burned my eyes.�I held them long after they were gone,�because letting go too soon felt so wrong.
I gave up holidays, sleep, and pieces of myself that I will never get back.�but I didn’t miss a single moment of their lives while they were in my care.
I cleaned every mess.�I taught them that hands mean kindness.�I watched them take their first steps into bravery.
And then ..I gave them away.
To strangers who became family.�To homes I hoped would understand�that they weren’t “just a dog.”�They were my heart, walking on four legs.
When you call, I still listen.�When they’re sick, I still worry.�When they succeed, I still cheer.�And when they grow old, I will cry with you.
