This Is A Promise We Can't Keep

Once in awhile, Lisa and I venture away from home. Together. No kids. When we return, the kids are beyond excited. Jumping. Wagging tails. Juicy kisses. Sniffs. Barking. Whether we sit on the floor amid their excitement, or pick 'em up one by one, the first words out of our mouths are, "Seeeeee...we're back. Mommies will always return...."


I feel guilty. Because, to an extent, this is a lie. It's a promise we can't keep. There is always the chance, we won't return. Not by choice.

I think about it each and every time we pull out of the driveway. Despite every safety precaution we take or how careful we drive, it is not 100% guaranteed we will return home. It's not something we like to think about. It's not something we want to think about. But, we need to.

Being. Prepared. The "what if."

It's difficult to write this. I get choked up even thinking about it. Writing about it makes it a possible reality. We could leave the house, jump on the highway and...get into a car accident that would break our promise to the kids. One of us. Both of us. Whether it be injury or death, we have 3 kids at home.

What. If. 

As dog Moms, it's our responsibility to make sure our kids are taken care of if something were to happen to us. The unthinkable could happen tomorrow. Next week. Next year. Five years from now. Or, as we would prefer, not in their lifetime. We. Just. Don't. Know. This isn't something we should put off.

There will be puddles of tears on my desk as I start this process. If something were to happen to us, our kids would be orphans.

The first thing I'll be doing is filling out the "I Have A Pet At Home" emergency cards for our wallets and glove box. Which, we have. Then, it's securing humans we trust with every ounce of our being. These are our kids. Our world. Do you have human kids? Imagine trying to secure someone to take care of them if something were to happen to you. It's no easy task. It's the same for us.

Really. It is. 

We'll have a folder for each kid. Kept together. The folders will contain photos, medical information, people to contact and a detailed write-up with their personal information, what they eat for food and everything between. No bit of information will be left out. We know our kids like the back of our hands. It's up to us to make sure they are cared and provided for. Our kids can't talk. It's up to us to relay every bit of information. Every tiny detail.

This is important. We should have done it a long time ago. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. My heart is heavy. It's a task I don't look forward to diving into. But, I must.