When we woke up on the morning of May 6, 2025, we never thought that by the end of the day our lives would change forever. We finished work, went to Sam’s Club to pick up potatoes and baby carrots, and then went home. When we got there, our nearly 17-year-old Yorkie (he just celebrated his birthday on May 2nd) wasn’t eating and acting himself. We rushed him to our Vet’s office for an emergency appointment, where we learned the devastating news that he was in kidney failure. We made the unbearably hard decision to say goodbye to our best friend as we shared our last kisses with each other before he passed in our laps. Puppers was our first and only dog. Our house that we worked so hard to get for him once seemed small, but we soon realized it was because it was full of his love. Now our house seems like a mansion, void of the sound of his feet on the hardwood floor, the excitement he showed us when we walked in after a long day at work, and so much more. With each passing day we find ourselves going through the obligatory motions of life. To be completely honest, when he passed our purpose went with him.
The next week was shaping up to be another tough one in our grieving process. Up until then, in the back of our minds we could always say, “Last week at this time he was here with us.” After the one week anniversary of his passing, we couldn’t say that anymore. Now, we’re in the phase of where we second guess everything. On Thursday, May 15th, my girlfriend and I were on our way to Sam’s Club to once again pick up some baby carrots. On the way there I was talking to her saying how I can’t believe we went to work on May 6th, how after work we went to Sam’s Club and not straight home, and how I feel an incredible amount of remorse and regret for not being home sooner to be with our little guy. She reassured me that we had no way of knowing what was going to happen, that he was sick, and that we’d never see him again. Meanwhile, in the days leading up to this moment, I’ve been praying for Puppers to give us a sign that he’s in Heaven, that he’s okay, and that we’ll see him again one day. We’ve seen what we thought have been signs from him, whether at our house or out and about, but deep down you also question if these are really signs from him, or just lucky coincidences.
So we pull into the Sam’s Club parking lot, and the emotions are raw. This is the first time being back here since that day. We pulled into the same parking spot we always pulled into when he was with us. I unbuckled my seatbelt and when I go to open the door I saw something caught in the bushes. I could faintly read a tag that said, “I need a home.” I figured it was probably an article of clothing sewn and left there for someone in need, but I felt I had to check it out. When I pulled it out of the bushes, that’s when I discovered the quilted heart. When I saw the colors, purple and yellow on the front, I immediately thought of my girlfriend’s FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL-TIME, Tangled. I can’t tell you how obsessed she is with it. All three of us have watched that movie as a family more times than I can count. She’d even watch it with Puppers when I wasn’t home. Purple and yellow are Rapunzel’s colors. On the back of the heart is red, white and yellow roses. Roses are the flowers that I love and always give to my girlfriend on special occasions. Immediately I start to get choked up. How long has this heart been there? How many people parked next to it and either never saw it or bothered to check it out? Why us?
There’s only one reason in my heart, and that’s because it was sent to us by Puppers. This was clearly a sign that he’s okay and watching over us. It also feels like a sign from him saying to not worry about working and not coming straight home that day. While a part of me will always feel regret, this quilted heart did something I never expected would happen, which was giving us some closure. We will miss our best friend, our car ride companion, and our purpose forever. That much we know for a fact. But this quilted heart showed us today that while Puppers might not be physically here anymore, he’s always going to be with us.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to “I Found A Quilted Heart” and to whoever created and left this heart at the Plattsburgh, NY Sam’s Club. You have no idea the impact you’ve made in our lives.
