There is a strange thing that happens when you finally begin to love your life. You become aware that you could lose it. For most of my life, death wasn't something I particularly feared. In fact, within my spiritual understanding of existence, I have always thought of death as returning home—to the Spirit World. I often felt more connected to spirit than to my physical existence. And then something changed. I started wanting to be here.

There are moments in life when you realize you aren't quite ready for what comes next, but you also know you can't stay where you are. For me, that realization came after losing my soul dog, Spirit. Fostering felt like the perfect middle ground. I could open my home and my heart to a dog who needed me without making the lifelong commitment of adoption before I was ready.