Mountain Ash End of Life Pet Doula

09/05/2024

Though we need to weep your loss,
You dwell in that safe place in our hearts
Where no storm or night or pain can reach you.

Your love was like the dawn
Brightening over our lives,
Awakening beneath the dark
A further adventure of color.

The sound of your voice
Found for us
A new music
That brightened everything.

Whatever you enfolded in your gaze
Quickened in the joy of its being;
You placed smiles like flowers
On the altar of the heart.
Your mind always sparkled
With wonder at things.

Though your days here were brief,
Your spirit was alive, awake, complete.

We look toward each other no longer
From the old distance of our names;
Now you dwell inside the rhythm of breath,
As close to us as we are to ourselves.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from, 'On the Death of the Beloved,' from his books,
Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

County Kerry, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

09/05/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/infFjk9k7e612Sse/?mibextid=WaXdOe

Goes for beloved pets too!

The dead are not distant or absent. They are alongside us. When we lose someone to death, we lose their physical image and presence, they slip out of visible form into invisible presence. This alteration of form is the reason we cannot see the dead. But because we cannot see them does not mean that they are not there. Transfigured into eternal form, the dead cannot reverse the journey and even for one second re-enter their old form to linger with us a while. Though they cannot reappear, they continue to be near us and part of the healing of grief is the refinement of our hearts whereby we come to sense their loving nearness. When we ourselves enter the eternal world and come to see our lives on earth in full view, we may be surprised at the immense assistance and support with which our departed loved ones have accompanied every moment of our lives. In their new, transfigured presence their compassion, understanding and love take on a divine depth, enabling them to become secret angels guiding and sheltering the unfolding of our destiny.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from his books, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (US) / Divine Beauty (Europe)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

Co. Kerry, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

09/04/2024

True...❤️

08/26/2024

Happy National Dog's Day!

08/22/2024

08/22/2024

Have you ever felt this way?

08/06/2024

Well... what's on my mind is... the changes that have been happening! At the end of this month I am closing my little preschool, Mountain Ash Play Garden. I started the school when Bear was a Bubs, moved it from Sacramento to here in Bend just about exactly 8 years ago. It's been a fulfilling era and lots of wonderful memories!
I am resuming my small dog grooming salon and incorporating a doggie daycare!
I am also continuing my End of Life Pet Doula work.
My kids are helping me with the renovations that are needed including a beautiful new fence in the front and flooring and tub in the grooming room! Pictures to follow upon completion! This is all under the name: Harmony Pines
On to the next chapter!!

08/01/2024

Our little Cotton Candy is at end of life. She hasn't been well for quite awhile and I've been nursing her along. Now it's just comfort care. These buns have been with us- the kiddos in my preschool, named by one of them- since the lockdowns. They are now 'old' for buns. I am now letting her go on her own, as she has no quality of life. I hope her passing is swift. ❤️
Old photo.

07/30/2024

THE ANIMALS AND KARMA

These are the animals that choose to come into our lives. They are part of our karma and we are part of theirs.
Sometimes they find themselves "abandoned" or wandering, in the middle of a road or in danger, in the heart of the night; other times they find themselves at the door of the house, sent by fate; other times they arrive from loved ones, neighbors or strangers.
In any case, the animals were already in our karma. In this life, as in any other.

According to Brian Weiss, it is often that the same animal incarnates itself multiple times throughout our lives, simply changing shape and coat, and becoming recognized by small gestures, details and subtle habits. This can be seen well with cats.
When a "new" animal enters our house and knows exactly where to go, it's a sign that they simply say back.
Many people, at the time of death, receive the reassuring vision not of an already deceased relative, but rather of an animal. This means a lot. Because to our soul there is no difference between one species and another.
Animals are in our evolutionary path just as we are in theirs, so we must respect them as sacred beings and give them the utmost care.
They are part of us, in different form of the universe.

By Guy Ponsard

01/15/2023

“Dogs, lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and there's going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware that it comes with an unbearable price. Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we allow ourselves and the mistakes we make because of those illusions.”
Dean Koontz - The Darkest Evening of the Year.

🥰

09/14/2022

https://www.parents.com/parenting/pets/how-to-talk-about-the-death-of-a-pet-with-your-kid/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-article&fbclid=IwAR0_TWFAvVIZ7KciDoJQZVMgXGpYDgG_-Y0i9WUl8F7GfRJwixbwOw8wVck

Losing a pet is hard enough. Helping your child through the grieving process can be even harder. Here's how experts suggest parents navigate this difficult moment.

08/19/2022

RIP little Wicklow! Run free and healthy with all your buds at the bridge! 🌈🐾💔

08/18/2022

Gentle homeopathic healing help for grief.

During the toughest of times, try homeopathy to support you through grief and loss

08/18/2022

Bach Flower remedies for grief. Rescue Remedy is also a help during these times.

Easing grief with the Bach Flowers Grief is a multifaceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Everyone deals with grief in different ways, and it also depends on if the grief has come on because of a sudden death...

08/15/2022

Reposting this guide for those who are preparing for the loss of a two legged or four legged friend or loved one...

The Jack McAfghan Pet Loss Series
A Dog's Memoirs on Life and the Afterlife
Available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3c2tnks

08/14/2022

Oreo had just passed away the night before . I took Mungo out after work for a hike to enjoy the beautiful Autumn day. My mind was consumed with grief and overwhelmed with the pain of Oreo's passing. I stopped to sit, take in the peace and collect myself and thoughts.

As we sat there listening to the movement of the breeze and noise of the birds, I noticed Mungo looking up. He has never done this and he's never done it since, but at that moment, he was looking up for a good five minutes. I snapped this picture because at that moment, I do believe his brother was with us, comforting us and letting his brother know he was ok and still near.......❤️🐾❤️ 🐾

08/07/2022

This is what end of life ‘puppy love’ looks like. Winnie was terribly worried about her best friend Brea. She never left her side. This was Brea’s last day. 💔❤️

08/07/2022

I’ve lost two older beloved pups to advanced diabetes. They had BOTH been to the vet within the previous couple months. One for a regular checkup. The other for complaint of frequent urination, which after urinalysis and bladder scope, was diagnosed as ‘possible urinary tract infection’.
Both had diabetes at the time of their vet visits. It was missed BOTH times.
Please, insist on a blood glucose be done at vet visits for older pups at any vet visit. It could spare you heartache. 💔

08/02/2022

Amazing

07/25/2022

“Don't be ashamed to weep; 'tis right to grieve. Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water. But there must be sunlight also. A wounded heart will heal in time, and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us.”
Brian Jacques -Taggerung (Redwall, #14).

Rick Stevens - Woodlands, 1958.

07/20/2022

It's the hardest thing... It's the kindest thing. You helped me to eternal life where I now wait for you. Take your time. It will all go by in the blink of an eye and we'll be together again. Keep the faith 💗

The Jack McAfghan Pet Loss Series
A Dog's Memoirs on Life and the Afterlife
Available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3kUJlOi

07/19/2022

07/17/2022

Our souls keep us connected to each other.
Spirit keeps us connected to God. It all works so that we will always be together. Time is just an illusion. I'll be seeing you in the blink of an eye. 💗

The Jack McAfghan Pet Loss Series
A Dog's Memoirs on Life and the Afterlife
Available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3kUJlOi

07/17/2022

Does your family, do your friends, understand your deepest grief? If not, pity them that they never knew a love like this.