There is something about the way a rescue dog looks at you. Not through you, not past you, but right at you, as if they can see straight into your heart. That first wag. That cautious lean against your leg when they are still not sure if it is allowed. It feels like more than affection. It feels like recognition.
In those moments the noise fades. You find yourself seen by a creature who has been waiting for someone to believe in them again. And sometimes that connection appears at exactly the time you need it most.
Love does not have to be perfect or planned. Sometimes it simply arrives.