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Group: Pet Lovers Posts: 57 Joined: 13-January 11 From: Belfast Member No.: 6,959 ![]() |
Hi Guys
I can't remember the last time I really cried...probably when my mum died back in 2000. My dog Bruno got ill last November 25 2010 and my dad and I tried everything possible to get him better. We saw lots of vets and made Bruno as comfortable as possible. I must admit that while Bruno was ill it caused me to sink into a deep depression which obliterated any happiness over the Christmas and New Year period. I now feel the 'black cloud' I've been suffering is at last drifting way from my mind. Today's the first day I haven't full-on cried (I certainly have had tears in my eyes on several occasions when I get a happy flashback of Bruno) so I'm hoping that my no longer crying is a sign that I will now be able to bounce back from my sadness and get on with my life again? I made this video tribute for Bruno if you would like to see it. From approx 3 mins in there is some nice HD footage I took of Bruno and my dad on a beach one Christmas Day a few years ago. Take care Peter -------------------- |
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![]() Forum Moderator Group: Moderators Posts: 8,088 Joined: 20-July 08 From: Virginia Member No.: 4,861 ![]() |
Hi, Peter, greetings to you and your dad across the "great pond" to the beautiful Emerald Isle this Sunday morning from Virginia. Yes, it is vitally important to allow yourself to grieve the physical loss of your precious Bruno. Trying to suppress it or rationalize it or become stoic only compounds the grief adjustment journey, and can actually cause both physical and emotional challenges further down the road. Our society in general, and that includes our global society for people are people no matter where you go, barely give us permission to grieve openly for the physical loss of a human family member or friend. Once the funeral or memorial service is performed, our society believes our grieving is over with - - life goes on, get on with it When it comes to our beloved companions, while we may initially receive sincere sympathy from human family members and friends, the feeling of "it's just a . . ." becomes obvious when they no longer want to "hear about it." And so, in order to "survive" in what is referred to as "the normal world" we suppress our grief and put on a "putblic face" so that others will not be angered or confused or embarrassed by our normal grief.
I know what it's like to have to do this - - both with my own immediate family members as well as when I'm at work and out and about in the public. So, I do my grieving privately here at home, and I know there is one place I can come to where I will be accepted for who I am and what I am feeling - - here among my friends on Lightning Strike. So, Peter, please know you do not ever have to put on a "public face" here. Please know we will ALWAYS truly and sincerely and honestly want to know how you're doing both now and years down the road - - there is no "expiration date" here in this forum. Each phase of this grief adjustment journey is different, and each of us travel this grief adjustment journey differently. We are here for each other, and it is through our individual and collective strength that each of us find the courage and support and hope to keep moving forward in our earthly journey in a way that will honor our beloved companions. This weekend has been a busy one. My garage has been a bit cluttered with recyclicables and special trash items. The weather has not been cooperative for me to go into the city to drop things off at the collection center, so I straightend up the garage a bit yesterday and organized things so that it isn't quite so cluttered now. I was a bit exhausted after that. I gated off the garage door that leads into the kitchen so that Noah could watch what I was doing, and he kept vigil over me until I was done. We are taking it easy today, and as I'm writing to you Noah is stretched out next to me in the sunbeams coming through the window. But I'm also "planning" in my mind on rearranging some things here in the basement living quarters to make the space more organized and easier to dust. But the actual physical employment of this "planning" will be done on a different day. Today is a "lazy day." The sun is shining brightly and our temperatures are supposed to get into the upper 40's, maybe 50 something today and maybe tomorrow, but then they are to plummet again as a reminder that it is still definitely winter here. Snow is in the forecast for Thursday. I have arranged to have Thursday off from work iin anticipation of having some work done to upgrade my security system which monitors for fire, burglary, and medical emergencies. Knowing that efforts will be made to rescue Noah should a fire or break in occur while I'm not home is comforting to me, and since I'm the only human in the household and not getting any younger, having the medical alert is beneficial too. The upgrade will be to transfer the monitoring from a land line phone system to a cell phone system, which will then allow me to cancel my land line phone service and just use my cell phone. The land line phone service has become so expensive, and I have been keeping it primarily for the security system monitoring. The funds that I will "save" from not having to pay for a land line phone system will now go to paying the increase in electric service imposed by the electric company because of increased charges (not increased actual usage). This winter I have been using space heater in the basement living quarters instead of the furnace installed just for the basement, while only using the separate unit for the upstairs with the temperature turned down to about 65. I used the air conditioning very sparingly last summer here in the basement while relying primarily on fans to cool and circulate the air. It's incredible to me that the less electricity I use and try to conserve the higher my electric bill becomes because of the increased charges for the "privilege" of having electricity. In the 15 years I have been in my current home, my electric bill has tripled in cost. It does give me pause for the future years as I become more advanced in my senior years and budget conscious financial resources. But - - enough of this. I hope today is a better one for you, Peter, and that you feel your Bruno's sweet Living Spirit with you. Please know you and your dad are in my thoughts and prayers, Peter, and will look forward to knowing how you're doing. Say hello to the birds and other woodland critters in your garden for me. Peace and blessings, moon_beam -------------------- In heaven's perfect garden there is no grief or pain, and all of God's creation join the angels' sweet refrain.
The most blessed way I have of knowing God's comforting love and grace is to look into the eyes and heart of God's creatures' sweet angelic face. |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 20th July 2025 - 01:38 AM |