“It's natural, as our loved ones age, to start grieving their loss. Even before we lose them.”
―
Steven Rowley,
Lily and the Octopus
“To focus, I think of how dogs are witnesses. How they are present for our most private moments, how they are there when we think of ourselves as alone. They witness our quarrels, our tears, our struggles, our fears, and all of our secret behaviors that we have to hide from our fellow humans. They witness without judgment.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Grief orbits the heart. Some days the circle is greater. Those are the good days. You have room to move and dance and breathe. Some days the circle is tighter. Those are the hard ones.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“A heart is judged not by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Someone once said give a dog food and shelter and treats and they think you are a god, but give a cat the same and they think they are the god.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Because dogs live in the present. Because dogs don’t hold grudges. Because dogs let go of all of their anger daily, hourly, and never let it fester. They absolve and forgive with each passing minute. Every turn of a corner is the opportunity for a clean slate. Every bounce of a ball brings joy and the promise of a fresh chase.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“If you spend your entire life trying to cheat death, there's no time left over to embrace life.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“The very best thing about dogs is how they just know when you need them most, and they’ll drop everything that they’re doing to sit with you awhile. I” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“need you to remember something. We’ll call it Guncle Rule sweet sixteen: I want you to really live. To live is the rarest of things. Most people merely exist.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“Guncle Rule number eight: Live your life to the fullest every single day, because every day is a gift. That’s why people die. To teach us the importance of living.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“Most of all, I am thankful for Lily, who, since she entered my life, has taught me everything I know about patience and kindness and meeting adversity with quiet dignity and grace. No one makes me laugh harder, or want to hug them tighter. You have truly lived up to the promise of man’s best friend.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Dogs are always good and full of selfless love. They are undiluted vessels of joy who never, ever deserve anything bad that happens to them.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“After a pause Lily looks up at me. “Sometimes I think of you as Dad.” My heart rises in my throat. That’s the only term of endearment I need.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“I have to be better about living in the not knowing.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“To die would be an awfully big adventure. But it’s not true. Life is the real adventure. Having the hurricane inside you is the true adventure. And then I think not of Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, but of Mel Gibson as William Wallace. Everyone dies. Not everyone really lives.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Grief is a pathological condition. It’s just that so many of us go through it in life that we never think to treat it as such.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“The books were easy to restack, but he pulled a few titles to donate, anyhow. Books should be an experience, he thought, not a trophy for having read them.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“Yours is by far the harder lot, but mine is happening to me.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Somewhere, sometime, I stopped really living. I stopped really trying. And I don't understand why.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“To focus, I think of how dogs are witnesses. How they are present for our most private moments, how they are there when we think of ourselves as alone. They witness our quarrels, our tears, our struggles, our fears, and all of our secret behaviors that we have to hide from our fellow humans. They witness without judgment.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Grief orbits the heart. Some days the circle is greater. Those are the good days. You have room to move and dance and breathe. Some days the circle is tighter. Those are the hard ones.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“A heart is judged not by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Someone once said give a dog food and shelter and treats and they think you are a god, but give a cat the same and they think they are the god.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Because dogs live in the present. Because dogs don’t hold grudges. Because dogs let go of all of their anger daily, hourly, and never let it fester. They absolve and forgive with each passing minute. Every turn of a corner is the opportunity for a clean slate. Every bounce of a ball brings joy and the promise of a fresh chase.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“If you spend your entire life trying to cheat death, there's no time left over to embrace life.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“The very best thing about dogs is how they just know when you need them most, and they’ll drop everything that they’re doing to sit with you awhile. I” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“need you to remember something. We’ll call it Guncle Rule sweet sixteen: I want you to really live. To live is the rarest of things. Most people merely exist.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“Guncle Rule number eight: Live your life to the fullest every single day, because every day is a gift. That’s why people die. To teach us the importance of living.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“Most of all, I am thankful for Lily, who, since she entered my life, has taught me everything I know about patience and kindness and meeting adversity with quiet dignity and grace. No one makes me laugh harder, or want to hug them tighter. You have truly lived up to the promise of man’s best friend.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Dogs are always good and full of selfless love. They are undiluted vessels of joy who never, ever deserve anything bad that happens to them.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“After a pause Lily looks up at me. “Sometimes I think of you as Dad.” My heart rises in my throat. That’s the only term of endearment I need.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“I have to be better about living in the not knowing.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“To die would be an awfully big adventure. But it’s not true. Life is the real adventure. Having the hurricane inside you is the true adventure. And then I think not of Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, but of Mel Gibson as William Wallace. Everyone dies. Not everyone really lives.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Grief is a pathological condition. It’s just that so many of us go through it in life that we never think to treat it as such.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“The books were easy to restack, but he pulled a few titles to donate, anyhow. Books should be an experience, he thought, not a trophy for having read them.” ― Steven Rowley, The Guncle
“Yours is by far the harder lot, but mine is happening to me.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
“Somewhere, sometime, I stopped really living. I stopped really trying. And I don't understand why.” ― Steven Rowley, Lily and the Octopus
