A friend of mine recently lost her dog, yet all she could talk about was how blessed she feels to have had that time with him. That really made me think about my dogs—one back home and one up in heaven. We lost our first dog, Ben, when I was 12. He would have been 15 just the other day, but he went to God when he was 8. We got him for Christmas when I was just 3 years old (I am not sure who thought it was a good idea to raise a toddler and a puppy at the same time). And from that day on I loved that dog.

As I read my friend's post about the passing of her beloved pooch, I began to wonder if Ben knows that I still think about him, that I will love him forever, that I am more than grateful for every moment I had with him. Ben was there for me every single day. He let my lanky and frail body lie all over him, and no matter what, he hugged me right back.

I think that we often lose sight of the fact that kids can have bad days too, simply because their problems may not seem as big as ours. But kids do have bad days; I certainly had my fair share. And even though when I cried Ben cried too, he never left my side. He may have been lazy, too big for the house, and a major shedder, but he had the kindest and most loving soul.

He was my best friend, from the day he showed up until the day he passed. My heart broke when he left us, and it breaks a little more each time I think about it. But more importantly, for the past seven years, I have had a guardian angel looking after me, and he's a dog! I think my heart begins to heal when I think like that. And before he looked after me from heaven, he looked after me from Earth.

I am grateful I had a dog for a best friend as a kid. He was the most loyal friend I have had to date. I hope he knows that. I hope he knows that I will love him until the end of time, that I adored him, that I still think about him, and that I will always miss him. He was the best friend a little girl could ask for, and that is something I could never forget. I love you, Ben, forever and always.