When you have to choose between your child and your dog

My daughter woke up this morning and told me she saw Flower (who has been gone for five months now). I smiled and remembered how they sat together to watch TV and Ally used to put tiaras and toys all over her while she slept.

Then, on the five-minute car ride to school, she mentioned her again,

“Is Flower better yet? I miss her so much mommy!”

The lump in my throat was hard to swallow. I was proud of her ability to sequence events and her use of language has progressed in strides, but…