Max the Golden Retriever had a favorite step on the staircase of Shari Blivin’s home. It was midway up, the perfect spot to keep an eye on everything and be at eye level if a beloved family member walked by. He loved napping on it so much that he wore away the paint. Max passed away last year but when it came time to repaint her stairs there was one thing she knew she had to do.
She shared how the renovation project became a way to honor Max’s memory in a video she recently posted to Instagram.
She accompanied the video with the following message:
“I painted my stairs.
black just made more sense.
so did leaving his step,
untouched.
one year without you boo.
feels like one of the longest years of my life.
i hope you have a step, that is all yours and that you love as much as you did this one.
i’m doing okay, really good actually.
but gosh, how i miss you.”
Max’s step is now “forever his.” Blivin also got a plaque made for the step.
Blivin shared on her Instagram channel that Max passed away from an aggressive form of cancer. He actually passed away in her arms at the bottom of those very same stairs. She sat with him as his breathing slowed and just kept telling him it was okay to go. For several hours she stroked his face. When his breathing slowed she told him it was okay and she would be okay. “He raised his head and put it on my lap and took his last breath. And I held him while he went. Even in death he was the sweetest kindest soul,” Blivin said.
No wonder she wants to remember Max. And we can’t think of a better way to honor his memory than to preserve his favorite spot on the staircase.
This is Max. He had a favorite step that he loved napping on so much it wore away the paint. Max has since passed away, but his favorite step has been preserved, just like his memory.
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