Best friends are supposed to last forever, so how come mine was taken away from me at such a young age? Thirteen years of countless memories vanished without proper notice. I will never be able to say goodbye or be able to hold him one last time…Or so I thought.

I believe in visitation dreams. The dreams where loved ones pass on but make their way back to us in this magical realm where our minds wander when we simply just close our eyes. Visitation dreams are separated from what we call "normal dreams". People can remember every moment from this encounter for as long as they live while feeling an overwhelming presense consume them the second they wake up. I wasn't a believer at all in the afterlife until I had this experience. My story is what changed my life forever and shaped me to be the person I am today.

After an exhausting school day, I was home alone in silence and it never felt so good. I sprawled out on my couch and bathed in the silence. All of a sudden, silence became noise. I turned to him and sternly said the word, "stop", so I could go back to laying in complete silence feeling sorry for myself. Louder and louder he continued and I screamed at him for the first time in my life. Puzzled by my reaction, he stopped and we both went to bed. Night soon became morning and I proceeded to go to school. He was still asleep and I went over to kiss him on his forehead like I do every morning and to say the words, "I love you". He lifted his head and looked at me like he never did before. Sad, droopy eyes filled with the most love looked at me in appreciation and he put his head slowly back on the bed to go back to sleep. He didn't wake up after that.

Is this what Heaven looked like? A big grand door stood in front of me opening to a lady standing at a desk. I gradually walked over to her and all she did was point her index finger. My head follows the direction of her finger and there he is. He looked different now than he ever had…Younger. His fur coat had fully been restored. His eyes. His big brown eyes were no longer big brown cataract eyes. Being able to see again, our eyes met and he sprinted to me with his cute little legs and leaped into my arms. I haven't seen him run that fast in years. Stroking my hands on his back, I realized that I could feel him. Feeling my heart break, I do nothing but sob, knowing that this wasn't just a dream. The only words coming from my mouth were I-love-you's and apologies. The dream came to an end and I woke up, realizing I just had my chance to say goodbye.

Snickers: not the candy bar, but my dog who had been my best friend for thirteen years. Picking him out in the animal shelter to be my very own dog and friend was my first memory that I can possibly remember and the greatest day of my life. Snickers has taught me more about life than any human ever has. He has taught me to always be there for others, to always be happy, but most importantly, he taught me how to love. My love for him is so deep that I cannot express in words. Never in my life have I loved anything more and having him always by my side while growing up was a blessing in disguise. A little shih tzu is what made me to be the person I am today. Reuniting with him in the dream brought me to a state of sweet serenity. It made me realize that not only Snickers, but other loved ones who pass aren't really gone forever. For that reason, I no longer live in regret for that one night, but am forever thankful for the wonderful memories we have shared.