I love the way that you moved from the global to the personal here. When I began reading this piece, the questions you were asking reminded me a lot of the questions I asked when my dog died. And then when you began talking about your mother… powerful. Moved me to tears. My dog was my best friend and the closest thing I’d ever had to a sibling, and now almost two years later I still find myself wondering about all of the things that I could have done differently where she might still be alive. Beautiful piece. I’m so sorry for your loss