A friend said something lovely about Dana being in the doggy equivalent of heaven, because she had lived in wonderful places and enjoyed constant outings to beaches, rivers, forests and glens. It helped a lot. I have often been asked by children what happens to their pets when they died, and I always tried to be honest and to say things like “Could you imagine heaven without your favourite pet?” That usually sufficed. Although I am far from being a child, (and hopefully, far from my second childhood), I still am comforted by the same thoughts.
I am tempted to write that in the grand scheme of things the life of a dog is not all that great, as if to apologise for my tears, but I would be wrong so to do. All Our Losses, All Our Griefs was a set book on my divinity degree course, and it taught that all the losses we experience in life help to prepare us for the ultimate loss. We just have to be willing to allow ourselves to grieve and to learn.
My condolences on the loss of your friend.
My father was a ski-jumper in his youth and a great dog lover. He died at home, in his own bed, with his children on the bed around him. I sat next to him on the bed, and just moments after he died, I had the most extraordinary…well, vision isn’t the correct word, perhaps reverie is. Our home church when I was a child was Memorial Church at Stanford University. The walls are decorated with mosaic, and the apse is gold. I have the clearest memories of walking in as a small child, being convinced that I was looking at heaven.
So in this reverie, I had the sense of Dad leaving us just like a ski-jumper sailing up off into the blue sky…..and then a sense of dark gates opening, and the blazing gold like the church. Silhouetted there, waiting to receive him and welcome him, were his dear friends who had gone before….including all his dogs. The dog of my youth, Joe, had a particular wriggly walk when Dad would come home, and there he was, wriggling with excitement.
That is a truly lovely gift of a dream to have been given, Liz. Thanks for sharing the picture of him with all his dogs. What a happy time that would be. Freda