ALL GOOD THINGS come to AN END

“My neighbor’s dachshund had puppies! They have one left. A female. Do you want her?”

That’s how she found me. It was October 2005 and I was in the throes of the final year of college when my roommate’s sister texted me. When I pulled up to the house on Brookhaven Drive that perfect, sunny day, I did not know I was meeting my soul companion for the next seventeen and a half years.

Punkin spent more time with me, by my side, than any other being in my life.

I had professional photos taken of us in 2018, when she was twelve, just outside my studio in downtown Waco where I walked with her every day. Then I had photos taken of us on her last full day. Curiously, it was 5 years to the day of our first session.

Here is what I can tell you: those photos hold a value I can not express. They are also not enough. Hindsight is 20/20 and if I could do it again, here is the wisdom I can offer:

Have photos taken OF your family in each major chapter of your life together.

I ache for photos of us on the cobblestone streets of Ghent, Belgium and along the farm path we walked in the evenings. At the time, I thought we would be moving to Europe. I did not prioritize a shoot because I could *do it later*. We flew home mid-February 2020. Then, the world shut down. Life took a different path.

Punkin passed in January of 2023, and I understand now, more than ever, the value of each and every photo I have with her. She was a part of me.

Make time. Later is not guaranteed.