I hear very often from grieving pet owners that I talk to, that they feel more pain over losing their pet or animal companion, than they did over losing a family member. It sounds crazy, but I think that it is really hard to replace the true unconditional love that our animals give to us. They love us no matter what. They don't care what we look like, how much money we have or don't have, or whether or not we're in shape. Maybe one day we humans will learn to love that way. There is so much to be learned from animals.
Please share your experiences with us with these kinds of emotions. Have you ever felt this way?
Have a beautiful day,
Colleen
Give sorrow words;
the grief that does not speak;
whispers the o’er-fraught heart
and bids it break. ~ William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Have a beautiful day,
Colleen
Photo sourced from fromeyetopixel.com and used under terms of Creative Commons.
In our line of business we hear a lot of sad stories, this is just a part of what we do. We try to listen, provide comfort and let people know that it's okay to feel how they're feeling. Most importantly, we try to be the strong ones and resist the urge to cry too. But sometimes our emotions get the best of us. This story brought each and every one of us to tears.
Continue reading "Have you Ever Seen a Cowboy Cry? A Touching Horse Memorial" »
The other day I met with a sweet woman to show her different stone samples so that she could pick out a couple of pet grave markers for two of her family dogs that had passed away, one in 2007 and one in 1989. As often happens, when we got to the part of writing down what she would like to say on the markers, she got choked up. It is so difficult to actually say the parting words to your dear old friends out loud. This part often chokes me up too. If anyone else is crying, I cry. I can't help it.
I thought that I had heard every possible epitaph for an animal that could fit onto a pet memorial marker, as thousands of orders for these have passed through my hands, but when she said the last line, after the name, and after the years spent on earth, my jaw dropped. She said that this was her husband's sentiment:
"How two species can so love each other . . . "
Need I say more?
Have a beautiful day,
Colleen
I'd like to introduce a new addition to the Peternity family -- Alyson Idrees of Chowtime Produtions!
Alyson was trained in Florence, Italy as a painter and has created a gorgeous line of pets urns that show off her amazing talents.
What I love about Alyson's pet cremation urns is that they are very upbeat, with vibrant colors and a bit of a sense of humor.
We all need some levity during our times of sorrow, and it's great to be able to look at the memorial that you've chosen for your pet and have it make your smile.
The latest addition to Alyson's collection is Tuscan Tails. These beauties have a lovely warmth about them, the perfect final resting place for your best friend.
Have a beautiful day,
Colleen
The loss of a pet is often the first experience that a child has with death.
Sometimes it's hard to know how to explain to a child what has happened to their best friend. Of course there are age appropriate explanations, but it is still, not easy. I've struggled to explain to my three year old what the nearby cemetery really is (he's very curious about the "big park"), because I don't want to freak him out by explaining that people get buried in the ground. Their astute little minds are often very literal and I fear that this could conjure up some pretty scary thoughts for him.
Diane Pomerance, Ph.D., writer, teacher, counselor and animal lover has written several wonderful books on the subjects of death, pet loss and coping with these issues. Read on to hear her very helpful ideas on how to help children cope with losing their beloved pets and best friends.