The Secret Keepers
They sit patiently, oh so patiently. Waiting for us to finally come home. Five minutes separated from us seems like weeks to them — 2 minutes, like a day.
They do not complain. They would sit and wait forever just to have the chance to be with us. Even if only for a moment.
Tails wagging they greet us. Forever greet us. Or purringly they rub our legs, blinking slowly while they head butt. Even when their eyesight is blurred and their legs are not so strong. They greet us.
They see only the best in us. Even when we show them only our worst. We do not apologize. They lovingly forgive us anyways.
We tell them our secrets in the middle of life’s storms. They keep each secret well. And when our hearts are broken, our tears disappear into their soft fur until they are no more.
We brush them aside in our busyness. They patiently climb back onto our laps and into our souls.
They unselfishly give us much more than we can ever give to them. They are living furry proof of unconditional love on earth. Perhaps the only unconditional love we know.
We are their whole life but usually they are not ours.
They become a fixture. Something that’s there. Always there.
Until they aren’t.
Then patiently, oh so patiently, they wait for us to finally come Home to them one last time. In Heaven.
Jackie Deems copyright 2019
