I saw an eagle flying over the highway last month. At first, I wrote him off as a seagull, and I laughed to myself about how horrible my eyes are to have confused the two birds. But then he swooped down, showing off right in front of my car. Time felt like it stopped for a split second while I examined the handsome fellow in front of me. I thought of my grandma. She was saying “hello.”

Death is a really difficult thing to grasp. None of us have personally experienced it, but we gather what we can from our faith and instincts. I lost my grandma last year. We used to talk a few times a week until she got sick and had a hard time talking or remembering who I was. Before that, she always told me about the wildlife on her farm and about whatever dogs were around at the time. My grandmother was a dog trainer when she was young, which I think is such a dream job. I will pay you to be in a room filled with puppies.

Anyway, I know there is a lot we don’t know about the afterlife, but I think God lets us come back for little visits even after we die. I always joke to my husband that I’ll come back as a chipmunk — partly because I think they’re cute, but also because then he would be thinking of me all the time since they’re all over the place.

Today is our dog Jax’s 6th birthday. He is still so young! You can’t help but think about sad things with dogs sometimes, though. Pups are not here long enough. I do not sign off on the whole idea of “they only need a short amount of time to give the same amount of love that a human will give in his or her own lifetime.” That is absolute BS. A dog gives more love than humans, but we need them here longer. The world would be a better place if dogs lived longer. I do believe this with all my heart.

The other thing I am sure of in the afterlife, is that dogs are there. I know that there is absolutely no way that God would create such angels for earth, and not have them in heaven, too. I have a whole theory on pups in heaven, and will share that another day, because I think it makes things a little easier with aging pups. Heaven is a hard place to picture without knowing what happens when we die, but it brings me immense comfort knowing that my grandma is watching over me and my family, with her Golden Retriever soulmate, Lucie, by her side.