---

The greatest teacher I have ever had was a little four-footed furry friend by the name of Honey Beau. We, as humans, have a tendency to erect walls on the foundations of the grudges we hold against one another. Pets are not like this. They understand the importance of unconditional love. Honey Beau showed me this type of love time and time again.

Last winter, after months of cortisone treatments caused him to lose the majority of his fur, it became necessary to wrap him in a baby receiving blanket and hold him to warm him after his excursions outside. I would take his little fragile body in my arms and hold him close to me until the shivering subsided. He'd struggle and fuss at first, but once he felt comfortable and warm, he'd sigh and fall asleep with his head cushioned on my chest. He was safe and secure in the knowledge that the unconditional love he generously bestowed on me was reciprocated.

Life would be much easier for all of us if we followed his example. I will miss my greatest teacher terribly, but the lessons held and expressed in the depths of his chocolate brown eyes will remain etched on my heart, just as his memory will. Goodbye, my teacher, my friend...I'll miss you...

Love, Darcy

"Love cures people -- both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it." --- Dr. Karl Menninger