Standing in the Shadows

My Rachmaninoff, the Man of the Forest, is ailing. His kidneys are failing fast. He had been doing better, especially this past week, perhaps as a birthday gift to me, but new tests reveal the worst, and the vet guesses that he may only have two weeks left, maybe six, if we're lucky. I am consoled by the fact that Rock has never lived by the numbers and at nearly 18, still retains his youthful good looks. Bad test results be damned.

Still, I recognized a foreshadowing of what would be when I took this photograph a few weeks ago. In the face of "the strange unknown," represented here by lengthening shadows, he remains calm and courageous. He remains himself.

Now, for his sake, I strive to do the same.

Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartache to come...

~ Holland-Dozier-Holland
and The Four Tops