Milestones

When folks my age had kids

Was Milestone Number One,

Yet doctors said for us

There simply would be none.

Instead we got a dog,

Her name was Bessie Mae,

She helped us both get through

Those baby-crazy days.

When kids of all our friends

Grew up and went to school,

In my mind I witnessed

Milestone Number Two.

I focused on our dog

And smiled at wags and barks,

Sent graduation gifts,

Watched other’s kids embark.

That’s Milestone Number Three,

At a decade and a half,

But for us it was the end

Of our dog-focused path.

As I viewed Facebook pics

Of teens dressed for prom,

I said goodbye to Bessie,

The one who made me “Mom.”

Those milestones with my Bessie,

Though they've come now to an end,

Might set the stage for more

So my broken heart can mend.

What will be those milestones?

Only God can ever know,

But I trust in God with faith

That through them I will grow.