I can’t father children. While that means there are no unplanned pregnancies in my past, it also means there are no planned pregnancies in my future. With so many of my peers starting families lately, there is a hole that remains in my heart and, honestly, always will. That’s why I needed someone like Sean in my life.
My last dog, a rescued black lab named Hoogie, died mere days before my first stroke a few years ago. I felt that, with my health then in shambles, he held on to life for as long as he could—nearly 18 years—until he couldn’t any longer. As he lay dying in my arms, his brown eyes said “I tried, dad…I tried.”