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How do you deal with the death of a loved one? A pet?

It can certainly be difficult, and the process is not easy. Unfortunately, dealing with the pain has been all too familiar around my house lately.

Eight years ago while living in Joplin, Mo., we came across a little black-coated, white-footed ball of energy at the Joplin Humane Society. We had no idea what breed he was, but we knew he was very sweet and in desperate need of a home. I was convinced we needed to adopt him, and to persuade my wife only took introducing them.

When Courtney Dillard and Matt Webber got married, they hit the road to visit cafes across America. The couple wanted to share their first meal of the day with 50 strangers, as a way to celebrate their marriage and set the standard for the type of lives they want to lead.

They call their trek, “Breakfast with Strangers”

“We were a little worried about the domestic nature of getting married and we didn’t want to narrow our lives too much; we wanted to do something different,” said 41-year-old Dillard, a college professor in Portland, Ore.