She tried so hard to stay. In the end it was her body, not her spirit, that couldn’t hold on any longer — and I chose her peace over my own need for more time. The mornings are the hardest. She was always there, her sweet face, her little sassy walk, the whole small ceremony of her. The house knows she is gone before I have even remembered it myself. That is the cost of a love this size. I would pay it again without hesitation.