Saying Good Bye

There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love. Washington Irving

The Epona family lost some friends in 2008 and already in 2009, each one of them was special to us. It’s obvious that saying good bye to our pets is not easy but there is so much more. In the passing of our friends there are blessings. We participate in a sacred thing and often with all the courage we can muster give our furbabies a final gift of extraordinary love. I am so grateful to them and their humans for letting me be part of their lives. They each gave us so much love and always taught us something. So I just want to say a few words then I invite you to tell us all about your friends, we can remember the good times together. First here’s to Bolton the Goldie and his brother Braley. They were really something special. When Braley died, leaving Bolton alone for the 1st time in his life it was tough on everyone. 2 weeks later I was asked to take care of Bolton while his humans went away for the day. I stepped into the house and he came running to me and sat down. For some reason I got down on 1 knee and that dog put his paws and his head on my shoulders and just cried. I shared something mystical with him that day, he communicated to me more clearly that any human the pain in his heart. Then it struck me, how far I had evolved from the indoctrinated scientist who was supposed to believe animals “don’t feel or grieve”. I had a witness to it and I was grateful. I have now heard many instances of animals close to death that wait for that special human to come home so they can “let go”. I saw it with our cat, Mr. Sebastian, the toughest cat I have ever known, he clung to every breath until I got there, I said to him, “it’s ok, you can go now” and in that instant everything changed. His body relaxed and he exhaled one long exhale for the last time. Finally, as many of you know I said good bye to my dear Sophie this year. That little dog taught me what it is to be brave. She overcame so much, so many fears of her own and until the day we discovered a giant tumor in her bladder, she would chase down the biggest buck without a thought. I will never forget the day my mother in law held my newborn son and inadvertently walked near the front door. That little dog threw herself at that door to block the exit. NOBODY was going to get past her with our newest pack member. The thing is, it wasn’t that long before that day that Sophie was so afraid of people that she preferred her crate when we had visitors. That’s courage, whenever I have to do something kind of hard, I think of Sophie on that day, thanks little Sophie, I will always love you.

To all the others in the Epona Family, Calvin, Kelsie and Toby the dogs and Shadow the donkey, you have each given your own extraordinary gift, I will miss you. I’m not sure where our sweet ones go after they transition, but I love the rainbow bridge idea , either way, I know they are waiting for us.