Lassie was so incredibly photogenic. In fact, Lassie is the reason I got into photography. I loved photographing him so much. Every now and then it hits me, like a bag of bricks, that I’ll never have a new photo of him. I’ll never take another take another picture of him. It hurts and it never fails to bring tears to my eyes, but it also makes me so grateful that I was always all up in his face with my camera. I have so many photos of him. Beautiful photos, silly photos, sweet photos, crazy photos; photos I will cherish forever. Photos I want to cover my walls in so I can see him everyday.

I want nothing more than to reach into this photo and run my fingers through his silky soft ear fluff. I go on and on about Petal’s ear fluff, but there will never be ear fluff like Lassie’s.

Looking at his photos makes me miss him so much, but at the very same time they make me feel so much better, like I’m still connected to him. It’s crazy, but sometimes I feel like I dreamt him and his photos are proof that I did not. His photos are reminders of the joy he brought me, the joy that will linger with me forever.

“This may or may not comfort you, but it is true: your pain is a sign you have been blessed to draw very close to another. You have loved and you have been loved. The hurt you feel is an indication of your wonderful humanness, your sensitivity, your openness. It is a proof that another has touched you deeply, even as you have touched them. While you may wish you did not hurt as much as you do, you dare not forget that your pain is none other than the result of your joy.” (source)

There are so many photos of his that I want framed. When Easy Canvas Prints offered me an 8×10 canvas I had a really hard time choosing a photo. I literally spent days trying to decide. I made a photo album on my iPad titled “Lassie Canvas” and put all the “final choices” in there and I flipped through them often. It was this photo that made me smile consistently and even made me chuckle. His slight head tilt and collie smile is to die for. Who wouldn’t want to have this handsome, sweet face on their wall?

His expression, his head tilt, that ear fluff sticking up! It all makes me so happy.

It was a good choice, I think. He looks so happy and so loving and that’s exactly who he was. It turned out beautifully. I keep looking at his sweet face and feeling both sad and happy, but mostly happy. His smile is still contagious and I loved waking up to it again this morning.

I love you, sweet boy.

Special thanks to Easy Canvas Prints who sent me the canvas in exchange for mentioning them in my post.