Friends Bri and Tim lost their cat, Ted, the other day. He lived a long life by feline standards, but his health started failing and they had him put to rest. I am sorry for them. Losing a pet is not an easy thing.

Each time I’ve ever lost a pet, I have always had this angry thought: Why did I allow myself to get so attatched to something with such a limited lifespan? At that point, it always seems like owning a pet provides no emotional net gain, that the love and comfort provided by the pet over its life is not worth the heartache created when it dies.

Of course, this isn’t true, it only seems true at the time because the love trickles while the heartache comes due all at once.

Pets have two very important lessons to teach us about the world: How to love and be loved, and how to face death.