I had a cat named Junior. She was the love of my life, she truly was. Junior came as a kitten to my back yard. I found her one morning sleeping on a towel that had fallen on the ground and I fed her.

A man on our block fed cats and didn't have them fixed so his house was overrun by black cats. Little Junior was black and she brought her black sister with her. I couldn't pet Junior for six months and her sister Slinky for 2 1/2 years but I trapped both of them, had them spayed, bought them houses and heaters and fed them twice a day and did everything you do for your pets except, because of their feral nature, they lived outside. Sigh. It worried me every day they lived out there but nothing bad ever happened to them. They stayed warm and dry and well fed. And they were loved. They lived to a ripe old age but I am getting ahead of my story.

Just so you know, when we had a vacancy inside the house after my other two cats had passed away, Junior came inside to live. By then, she was very tame and she and I really loved each other. She learned to use a litter box, followed me everywhere, and slept on my neck. She was only 7 pounds. I adored her. My Juney-June. My Junior Mint. My Minty Freshness.

I wasn't a pet photographer when the girls moved in to the back yard. I had a crappy point-and-shoot camera and later a phone. I took terrible photos of Junior. You know, she was black. It was hard to take photos of a black cat with those tools. It just was. And I didn't know how to get a cat to look at me. I wasn't a pet photographer, end of story.

So the few remaining photos I have of Junior have terrible noise problems because of my substandard camera, are blurry because a phone isn't really meant for photography, and rare is the photo of her even looking at the camera. Except for one set of photos. The ones I took at the vet when I had to put her to sleep at the age of 14 because she had lymphoma. I can't even look at them.

I don't want that for you.

I want you to have photos of your dog or cat when they are in full bloom. The prime of their life, when they are beautiful, as you know them now, when your relationship together has become the thing it will be. I don't want you to wait. I don't want you to be sad. I don't want you to think, I should have done this earlier. That's what a client told me yesterday. He had received a gift certificate and he kept postponing our shoot. He traveled a lot for his work and he realized, What if I don't do this? I'll regret it. And we did his session of his beautiful frosty-faced girl. No regrets. Now he will have art of his love on his walls.

That's what I say to you. Have no regrets, my friend.

It's a little money now. But what that buys? You tell me. No, I'll tell you. It will buy you beauty. Happiness. Relief. Art meant for your eyes. Memories of a really fun day. And something that will stir your soul of someone you will never forget. Your love. That is what I want for you.