Shadow and Light: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and New Beginnings with My Faithful Four-Legged Friends

By Monica San Juan

Shadow and Light is a love story between the author, Monica, and her dogs. Woven into the sweetness of life with her canine companions are earnest stories of loss, heartbreak, and change. This book captures how hard life is but how unbelievably beautiful it can be in the company of our most loyal companions: Our pets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798765246634

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Monica San Juan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 979-8-7652-4664-1 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-4665-8 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-4663-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023920668

Balboa Press rev. date: 10/27/2023

Contents

Foreword

Author’s Note

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 2: Moving

Chapter 3: Life With Sophie

Chapter 4: Time To Go

Chapter 5: Coming Home

Chapter 6: Life In Manila

Chapter 7: Terminal

Chapter 8: One Good Day

Chapter 9: Death

Chapter 10: Grief

Chapter 11: One Good Day - Take Two

Chapter 12: Last Breath

Chapter 13: New Beginnings

Chapter 14: Shadow And Light

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Foreword

I n your hands is a book about a girl and her dogs, which means that in your hands is a book that is ultimately about love.

I felt very honored when Monica invited me to be a part of her book making team. It is not an opportunity I am frequently given, so I took it on with much excitement.

Despite knowing Mon my whole life, our time working together still surprised me. While it has been a joy to watch the development of her writing over the last few months, I was particularly moved by the little intimacies she shares in Shadow and Light. As her cousin, it was a great delight to witness the depths of the hope, grief, and happiness that she experienced over the last few years.

I got to know Sophie throughout her years in Manila and I remember her being such a regal dog. She was also incredibly smart. The tricks she performed were outstanding! Of course, the credit goes to Mon, her most favorite human. When the news arrived that Sophie had crossed the rainbow bridge, our whole family was saddened. I, for one, could not imagine the weight of grief that Mon had to go through.

But reading this book gave me a better glimpse into it and that, in itself, feels like such a gift.

Mon has always been a tough lady but the stories in this book highlight her heart, a soft underbelly brought to life by her canine best friends, and how she is able to carry on with courage and tenderness while still maintaining her trademark Monica-ness. (You’ll get it once you read it!)

When it comes to dogs, love seems like an infinite resource. The things that we learn from their unwavering goodness can truly last a lifetime. I’m glad Mon took the leap and wrote down everything she has gained so far from the dogs — and people — in her life.

Her choice to release this book into the world is proof that the truest of love never sits in the shadows. No, the truest of love always steps into the light.

To that I say: Brava, Mon!

And to you, dear reader, enjoy the stories. Be thrilled. Be moved. Let the pawprints and the light lead the way.

Isa Garcia, Author

Author’s Note

I n this book you’ll meet two of my best girls, Sophie and Shadow, who have left permanent paw prints on my heart.

I wrote this book with the intention of sharing short stories about the different adventures, misadventures and everything else in between that my dogs had gotten themselves into. These stories have been percolating in my mind for quite some time now and I’ve finally put pen to paper in order to make sense of them all. I talk a lot about my dogs and how they have been by my side ever since I was young. My dogs have brought me days, months, years worth of irritation, frustration, destruction, sleepless nights, tears, joy, happiness and laughter. I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything.

I never intended to share much of my own story. But what I ended up writing was a love story spanning over ten years, featuring the people and dogs in my life, with all the good and bad mixed in.

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Chapter 1

The Beginning

T hree bedrooms, a play room, and a big backyard. What more could a kid ask for? That’s what I had growing up in a gated neighborhood in Manila during the ‘80s. Our whole neighborhood was lined with trees. We had flat