Lilith, One Year On

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

One year ago this afternoon. at 4:16PM, to be exact.

My fierce little girl, another abused and wounded spirit who nevertheless fought like hell for her own survival.

She survived absolute horror during the first eight months of her life. Well-fed (if fed the wrong kind of foods), but worse than starved psychologically. And scarred for life as a result. Every tiny bit of normalcy she could find and inhabit was a victory to be celebrated.

At the end of her near-fourteen years, she was much calmer. Part of it was simply that she was too tired to fight anymore; she'd already spent three years fighting the tumors that overtook her body, on top of a lifetime fighting the demons that overtook her puppyhood. Of course, there's a direct line from the latter to the former; just as with abused humans, there always is.

She's at rest now, beneath the blue spruce, between Dom and Major. Maybe someday I'll have it in me to write about just what she endured, and what she accomplished in her fierce little life. Today is not that day.

For now, I only hope that the hummingbirds return to her tree, as happened last year. We're both grateful to her for all that she added to our lives, beautiful body and spirit alike. And while I'm reeling from and dealing with other types of loss right now, hers is one of the ones I feel most acutely. She's never far from my thoughts.

She's never out of reach of our love.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.