My Dog Brought Me My Late Daughter's Sweater the Police Had Taken – Then He Led Me to a Place That Stopped Me Cold

And me? I found a reason to get up every morning. To feed them, clean their space, to hold them, and to cradle them the way Lily used to cradle her dolls, singing lullabies she made up on the spot.

A few nights later, I walked into Lily's room for the first time without holding my breath. I picked up the half-finished bracelet she had been making for me and tied it around my wrist, even though it barely fit. I sat at her desk. I opened her sunflower sketchbook.

And I smiled.

I sat at her desk.

 

 

Continued on the next page