Everyone morns differently

When my mom passed away, I had a dog also called Dutchess.  Mom was in the hospital for 17 days before she passed away.  After the funeral, we noticed that Dutchess sat at the end of the driveway waiting for mom to come home.  Afterwards someone said that often times pets are brought into the funeral home to see their owners so they understand that they are no longer alive.

We took Duchess, My Jenny's mom, into the vet's office after she had passed away.  I put her paws up on the side of the table so that she was nose to nose with My Jenny and could tell that she had stopped breathing.  Duchess gave My Jenny puppy kisses and we left.  After coming home from choosing out an Urn I walked into the living room and Duchess had her paw wrapped around the box of Kleenexes.  (I must have left them on the couch in her place and she wrapped herself around them.)


Duchess with a box of Kleenex

I covered her up with a blanket because she likes to stay warm.  When I turned around, she had put her nose on the top of the box.  Do dogs feel loss the way we do? They can't talk to us and share what they are going through.  We are doing our best to help her deal with the loss of her daughter and companion.  But every time we take her to a different place where she and My Jenny played, she spends for first five to ten minutes looking for her baby.  It is like trying to explain the loss of a loved one to a toddler.  No matter what you say and do, the comprehension just doesn't seem to be there.


Sad Mama at the loss of her baby.

At least Duchess does not feel the anger that we feel as humans.  We are angry at all the stray cats in town and angry at the driver that was driving too fast down main street.  Anger always seems to be such an easy feeling to feel.  Lord, please help take the anger away.

On a totally unrelated thought:

After I posted my blog yesterday, I watched a 1984 episode of Highway to Heaven staring Michael Landon and Victor French.  Being able to rewind TV shows is so cool.  I was able to transcribe two lines from the end of the show.  The scene is set when the son of Arthur is trying to talk Jonathan into staying on after helping mend their family.  May we open our hearts to bless those that come through our lives with Arthur's blessing.

Jonathan...Your Father made me promise to serve no earthly kings,

Arthur...
I understand:
May the road rise up to greet you,
May the wind be always at your backs.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
 the rain fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand