A crack in the heart

Yesterday, as I was selling some carpet to some customers, I heard a page over the loudspeaker regarding a phone call for the flooring department that was on hold.  I said, "excuse me," to the customers and picked up the phone.  A woman's voice on the other end of the line asked me how big was our largest storage container.  I told her we carry we have some very large containers, up to 55 gallons and asked her what she was using it for.  There was a pause, and she started to cry, and said "my dog just died and I need to bury him."
Remembering how a little over a year and a half ago how I felt when Gertie died of a heart attack, I excused myself from the customers and went back to the storage aisle while she talked about her dog, a standard sized poodle.  And I thought about the weather.  Yesterday was a dreary, rainy day here in Central Pa.  And I felt so bad for that poor woman who had just lost one her best friends.  And about having to dig a grave for that friend on such a terrible day.

We love our pets.  The loss of one can be heart rending.  Standing in front of our storage containers yesterday, giving dimensions over the phone, I had to pause and wipe a couple tears from my eyes because her grief had managed to crack open my heart.