We moved to Washington, D.C. in 2016. The first few months were ______; my daughter cried her eyes out almost every night. Luckily, we found a dog and named it Luna. Every day after dropping my daughter off at school, I ______ Luna at the nearby dog park, where I met a crew of other mums. With Luna by our side, we survived the hard times.

The end of our ______ in the US was accompanied by the outbreak of COVID-19. Several days before our departure, we ______ the call saying that all pet travel on flights had been ______.

We were ______. Who could take Luna? Unbelievably, those dog-park mums came to help, ______ to look after Luna for as long as it would take. Leaving our adopted home during COVID-19 was ______. Unable to say a proper ______ to the city or our friends, our departure felt open-ended. We left Luna behind, and with her a part of ourselves.

We ______ the hole as best as we could and fell to the work of settling in. When the wheels of her ______ started turning 16 months later, our excitement built up. We counted down the days and ______ ourselves for the reunion. After a journey through six cities, Luna finally ______. With Luna home, our life has changed. She ______ a circle of unsaid goodbyes and ______ with her the imprint of friends and loved ones far away. We felt complete.