Twenty Years of Love: The Legacy of My Girl Valentine Angel
Twenty Years of Love: The Legacy of My Girl Valentine Angel
By Angel, Founder of AMC Rise and Thrive
Hello beautiful soul 🤍
I’m so thankful you’re here with me today.
Some anniversaries pass quietly. Others settle into your heart
with a mixture of warmth and ache — a sacred kind of weight that only love can
create. This past Valentine’s Day marked twenty years since I got my girl. My
Valentine Angel.
She left this earth in 2018. And while time has softened the
sharp edges of grief, it has never erased the imprint she left on my life.
If you have ever truly loved a pet, you understand what I
mean. They are not “just animals.” They are companions in your becoming. They
witness your milestones. They sit beside you during your quietest prayers. They
hold space for your tears without needing explanations.
Today, I want to honor that kind of love. The kind that
changes you. The kind that transcends time and space. The kind that leaves a
legacy stitched into your soul.
Because love like that is sacred.
🌿 When a
Bond Is Meant to Be
Valentine was never supposed to be mine.
She had been purchased as a gift for a friend’s mom, and I was
simply keeping her for a few days until she was meant to go to her “real” home.
But destiny has a way of rearranging plans when hearts recognize each other.
We had only been together a short time, yet the connection was
immediate. Deep. Certain. I can’t fully explain it — I just knew. And I
remember thinking, with both apology and conviction, I’m sorry… but I’m
keeping her.
And I did.
She was stunning — a fawn with a reverse brindle coat,
uniquely marked like no other. Strong. Intelligent. Expressive beyond words. I
gave her the middle name Angel, after her mama. And in every sense that
mattered, she became my baby. Paws or not, she was mine.
She was dog-aggressive — strong-willed and female dominant —
but with people? She was a kissy monster. If you were within reach, you were
getting loved on whether you asked for it or not. That was her way.
She traveled with me everywhere. Chicago, to parties, and even
work when she was little. We were inseparable.
One of the most fascinating things about her was that she
didn’t bark. Years went by before I even heard her voice. One day I kept
hearing a dog barking outside and wondering whose dog it was. It turned out to
be mine. I simply didn’t recognize it because I had never heard it before.
She didn’t need sound to communicate. Her eyes said
everything. Her face carried full conversations. She taught me that presence
speaks louder than noise. (which would later prepare me for my autistic nonverbal
son)
When she met my husband, their bond was instant. At the time,
he and I weren’t together when I first got her. But when they connected, it was
undeniable. And yes — she became “his” dog. You know how it goes. Sometimes a
dog chooses one person.
At first, I felt a little betrayed. I’d jokingly think, Traitor.
But as I watched them together, I couldn’t be upset. Love was multiplying, not
dividing.
That was one of the first lessons she gave me:
Love is not possession. It is connection.
🌿 Through
Life’s Biggest Milestones
Valentine walked beside me through the most defining chapters
of my life.
Reuniting with my husband.
Getting married.
Buying our home.
Becoming a mother.
Losing Leo.
Welcoming Blue and Bear.
She was there for all of it.
When I was pregnant, both she and Leo would lay close to my
stomach — near, but never directly on top. It was as if they instinctively
understood that something sacred was growing there. They were protective before
he ever took his first breath.
And when my son was born, he became her baby.
One time he was crying in his room, and she ran to get me
urgently, her whole body communicating, You need to handle this. She
felt responsible for him. Protective. Watchful. Their bond was pure and natural
— no instruction required.
When she passed, my mom kept my son while we handled
everything. I knew he wouldn’t fully understand. But when we came home without
her, he looked for her. Then he began acting out.
His therapist later explained that he was grieving in his own
way.
That understanding shifted everything. Their relationship had
been his entire life. She was woven into his sense of safety. And suddenly, she
was gone.
Pets teach our children about loyalty, about gentleness, about
devotion. They teach love without complexity. And when they leave, they create
a space that cannot be replaced — only honored.
When Valentine was five, while I was about four months
pregnant, we noticed she was limping. Medication didn’t solve it. After a full
evaluation, we learned she had torn her ACL. Surgery was the only real solution
— and once one knee goes, the other often follows.
I didn’t have $3,000 sitting around. I was preparing for a
baby. Life felt full and uncertain.
But love finds a way.
A friend mentioned borrowing from my 401k. I researched
specialists. I found one with an excellent success rate. We did the first
surgery while I was pregnant. After my son was born, we did the second.
She was only five. She had life left to live. And I was
determined to give her every chance at it.
In total, I spent $6,000 on her knees. And I would do it again
without hesitation.
Love sometimes looks like sacrifice.
It looks like choosing devotion over convenience.
It looks like making hard decisions because someone matters.
🌿 Letting
Go and Holding On
Valentine was thirteen when we had to make the hardest choice.
She developed a cancerous tumor in her mouth that would bleed
when she ate or drank. We held on as long as we could. As long as she still
found joy in meals. As long as she still seemed happy. As long as her eyes
still carried light.
But there came a day when her spirit felt tired.
And that is when love requires courage.
Until the day she passed, she had no trouble walking. Those
surgeries held. Her legs were strong. After she was cremated, I asked for the
metal plates from her knees to be returned to me.
I paid for those knees. I wanted them back.
And they gave them to me, separately from her ashes. They now
sit in a special box beside her.
Some may not understand that. But remembrance is personal.
Devotion is personal.
After she passed, the realization hit me that she had been
present through so many life-defining events. It felt like losing a living
scrapbook — a silent witness to my becoming.
Yet I also believe love does not end with physical departure.
There was a moment after her passing when Blue developed a
severe allergic reaction. His fur was literally falling out. I took a photo and
sent it to family. My cousin responded, “Look at his back.”
There, in the pattern of his fur, was what looked unmistakably
like her face on his shoulder.
You can call that coincidence.
I call it reassurance.
I felt in my spirit that she was still watching over him.
Still part of us in a way beyond explanation.
Because love does not disappear.
It transforms.
Now when I think of her, I don’t cry the way I once did. I
miss her deeply, yes. But grief has softened into gratitude.
I sometimes wonder what she would think of my son now — how
tall he’s grown. Would they still run together? Would she still attack tree
limbs and refuse to let go? Would she still fear the vacuum but charge at the
lawnmower like a warrior?
We intentionally chose to have our son when we did because we
wanted him to know Valentine and Leo. We wanted him to grow up surrounded by
that kind of love and protection.
And he did.
As a mother, that is everything.
Dogs — especially big dogs — don’t have long lifespans. But
what they lack in years, they make up for in imprint. They mark the memories of
your life in ways that linger long after they are gone.
They teach us presence. Loyalty. Joy. Forgiveness. Devotion.
And perhaps most importantly, they teach us how to love
without reservation.
đź’Ž
Affirmations for Honoring Love That Lasts
Speak these gently over your heart:
• The love I have given and received continues beyond physical
presence.
• Grief is evidence of deep connection.
• I honor the memories that shaped me.
• Love never truly leaves — it transforms.
• I am grateful for every season shared.
Let these truths settle into your spirit.
đź“– Bible
Verse for Reflection
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
Love remains.
After seasons shift. After chapters close. After earthly
goodbyes.
Love remains.
🎵 Song of
the Day
“I Lived” – OneRepublic 🎶
This song captures the essence of what Valentine represented
in my life — living fully, loving deeply, leaving a mark.
One lyric that always resonates with me is:
“Hope that you fall in love, and it hurts so bad
The only way you can know, you give it all you had.”
Love that hurts when it ends is proof that it mattered.
As you listen, reflect on the beings — human or animal — who
have shaped your journey. Allow gratitude to rise for the time you were given.
🌷 Final
Thoughts: Love Leaves a Legacy
Beautiful soul, pets are family.
They are witnesses to our transformation. They are anchors
during change. They are steady love in a shifting world.
I once heard someone say that perhaps pet souls are meant to
be our children but arrive early, wrapped in fur instead of skin. I don’t know
how theology explains that — but my heart understands it.
Valentine was my daughter in every way that mattered. She
matched my suede outfits. She ate steak and ribs. She had warmth, protection,
and medical care whenever she needed it. She was cherished.
Until this day I hold a grudge for when she stole my chicken after a long day at work.
Twenty years ago, our lives intertwined.
Eight years ago, I had to release her.
But her imprint remains — in memory, in lessons, in the way I
love more boldly because she taught me how.
If you are grieving a pet, please hear this: your grief is
valid. Your love was real. Nothing about that bond was small.
Although it hurts when they leave, it does not erase the
connection that was created.
Love like that becomes part of who you are.
With love and remembrance,
Angel 🤍
Founder, AMC Rise and Thrive
If these words resonated, consider sharing them with someone
who may need them. Explore the archive — there may be a message waiting for you
at just the right moment.
Trust divine timing. We cannot rush what is meant for us. We
can only remain open, faithful, and aligned with what God is unfolding.
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