In Dec. 2004, my brother and I brought home a gorgeous Maltese puppy. My daughter Mackenzi named him Samson--we called him Sammy or Sam. For 14 years, he followed us through every adventure, often coming along. He followed us through every happiness and every cry, a new home & marriage and the recent embarrassing divorce. Many of my students knew Sam as he was often with me on workdays. On March 16, 2019, he ate his last meal. For a 10 lb dog, he fought for 9 days. Dogs have an inbred determination to show us they see our inherent beauty--no matter how big our mistakes. We had to put him to sleep on Monday March 25. Even in his final moments, I had to beg him to stop fighting and close his eyes.  

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Our council was hosting an event that Friday: our annual Idea Share with a rockstar theme. I made a new color rockstar: smaller for his size, white for his color, a red star for his red leash or a teal star for his teal blanket. At the event, I shared the story of our faithful friend, Sam. The white Sam version rockstar is my favorite--just as beautiful as his life.

May we all love so fiercely.

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