This is Angel. You may have read about her a few posts ago. She lost her life at the young age of 4½ in an unexpected and tragic event.
Whether it is an accident or you have had to put your loyal companion to sleep, as it so often happens, unfortunately it leaves a terrible image in your mind that you repeat over and over again.
Angel’s mom decided to deal with her pet loss grief in a proactive manner. She had so many happy memories and only one or two regrets that she decided to surround herself with as many of Angel’s pictures as she could. She put Angel’s pictures on her phone as her wallpaper and changed them several times a day for several days based on what she would normally be doing at that time of day. She filled her mind with pictures of happy times to slowly push out the bad pictures she had of that last day. This picture of Angel with the mushrooms is a happy memory. She told me she was walking in her yard and came upon these huge mushrooms, just as she was snapping the picture Angel ran in and posed! That was Angel, front and center. The thought of that day brings a smile to her face.
One regret she had was that she never had a professional portrait done with Angel. She thought she would have all the time in the world. Fortunately, she has plenty of home pictures but she always wanted to go to a studio and have a pet portrait taken. Let this be a friendly reminder, don’t put off your dreams or ideas. You never know what tomorrow holds.
I know this may not be the right approach for everyone. I have 3 members of my family and friends that I know that can’t do this. To write a story about their life or to see their pictures come up on the screen saver is just too painful. But just like Angel’s mom, or Digby’s dad, sharing their life made them feel better. Read the post about Digby. Digby’s dad couldn’t drive past the vets office, even though it was the shortest route to the grocery store. After writing his story and posting it, it brought closure for him. You have to find your way through the grief process that is right for you. Whatever you decide, don’t let anyone make you feel foolish. You need to grieve this loss in your own way just as you would grieve the loss of a human.
Non pet lovers don’t understand. So surround yourself with the people who love their pets as much as you do. Grieve their loss. Remember them. They were an important part of your life and they should not be forgotten. I hope this post helps you come to terms with your loss, and I hope your heart heals quickly.♥
