This past week was a tough one. The time had come for my little dog Grace to cross over the rainbow bridge. We had seventeen beautiful years together. For those of you who have pets, you know what a difficult decision this can be. As much as I wanted her to pass peacefully at home and avoid bringing her to the vet, I knew it was time. This was the humane thing to do for my dear friend, who gave me all of those wonderful years of love and friendship.
We had a bittersweet last day together.
She slept on my chest, and we snuggled tightly throughout the night.
It was comforting and as if she knew this time had come.
I didn’t want this day to end.
I cherished every second as I lay awake as long as possible, knowing the next sunrise would be our last.
Grief is a hard and sad emotion that can hit us like a brick.
Our pain can feel unbearable.
There is no avoiding this. After the initial shock, the process of grieving begins. Understanding this can be hard to accept.
There is no magic wand that can wipe it away.
And as comforting as it is to have support from loved ones and friends, it’s time that ultimately softens pain.
According to Healthline, there are five stages of grief.
1. Denial
2 Anger
3 Bargaining
4. Depression
5 Acceptance
While we all have to pass through most of these stages, bargaining is one that we can skip. The bargaining stage is when we regret an action done or not done.
I have no regrets regarding my life with Grace. I did my best to be the best dog mom I could be right up to the end.
Placing value on your relationships with others, not holding back on expressing yourself, dealing with challenges straight forward with an open heart and open mind, and creating memorable moments will deepen the authenticity of your relationships with others.
I remember a friend once saying that a relationship that fails to postulate is one that fails to exist. This means breathing fresh life into it ongoingly.
And Deepak Chopra once summed it up by saying that our life comes down to our interactions with each other.
In memory of my dear Grace, I want to encourage you not to have any I wish I could have or wish I should have with your loved ones, friends, and pets.
You can skip the bargaining stage altogether and be left with beautiful memories you can cherish forever, with gratitude rather than regrets.
My best to your health and happiness.
Yvette
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