Losing a beloved pet changes everything. The silence in the house feels louder. Their favorite spots feel painfully empty. And while friends and family may care, they don’t always understand the depth of the bond you’ve lost.

Tomorrow will mark six months since Lance’s passing. Do you know how many people in my life haven’t said a word to me about his death? Or they may have said “sorry about your loss” on the Facebook post I made when Lance passed away and nothing since. Even one of my closest friends didn’t reach out to me for months after Lance’s passing. To say I was hurt about that one is an understatement, but it leads me to my second lesson:

I often tell people Lance lived his life with a sense of gratitude. Despite his abusive past, Lance was a big cuddle bug who wanted nothing more than to be with his people and get lots of love and food. I always felt like Lance was thankful for everything he got in life. I think he remembered what kind of life he had before he was rescued and knew he hit the doggy jackpot when he landed in a home where two people wanted to spoil him every day of his life. It’s been three months since Lance passed and I miss him like crazy, but I like to think about what he taught me about life.

Five months. Five months since I said good-bye to Lance. Five months since I held his paw in my hand. Five months since I kissed the back of his head as I was rubbing his back. Oh how he loved having his back rubbed. Five months since he tried stealing the bed from me. Five months since I gave my best friend hugs and kisses. I have good days and other days, I want nothing more than to sleep the pain away. But over the last few months, the loss I’ve been going through has been teaching me some lessons.