My 93-year-old Mom once said, “I think you’ll miss Mac when he’s gone more than you’ll miss me.” I jokingly replied, “But Mom, I see him every day, and you’re 3,000 miles away.” Sadly, my Mac is gone and gratefully, Mom is still with us at 96.

Losing a pet can be as difficult as losing a loved one because of the physical presence of pets in our lives. I got Mac when he was seven weeks old, and he was with me for more than 13 years. Except for a few weeks a year, he was with me every day of his life. He was my constant companion. He depended on me to feed and take care him. I became dependent on his dependence.

And then there are ways that you can’t compare the two. A human is someone’s father, mother, sister, brother, son or daughter. They’ve likely lived more than 13 years and have touched the lives of hundreds of people in their lifetimes. Others may depend on them for their own wellbeing. When someone dies, there are people to contact and complicated arrangements to make.

But one commonality when you lose a pet and someone close to you, is not a day goes by that you don’t think of them, and most days you talk to them, and you pray that they have found each other.