PDride Speaks Out

After losing a special member of the family, after the initial outpouring of grief and disbelief, come the firsts. The first time an action, or event, or activity, or special occasion, or memorable date comes along, the grief comes flooding back. The hard lump forms at the back of the throat, the eyes liquefy, and the pain is renewed. A few days from now marks the 15 th year after losing my sister. I still miss her every day. I wish I could talk to her. I feel like she knows where I am and what I’m doing, but I really miss my big sister’s advice. I have long passed the age she was when she died, but she will always be my older sister. It’s weird to think I have outlived her and known things that she had yet to experience. If only I could talk to her. Losing a pet is like losing any family member. I know this only too well because I have sadly experienced both. The emptiness their absence creates is bigger than the life that once occupied that space. Everywhere you look within...

But, when the time comes for us to say goodbye to the last vestige of an era past, the progress toward that time can be fraught with pain, anxiety, and doubt, and pass by all too quickly. We have our many memories to replay and reminisce over, but when the memories come flooding in, we know the time is near. Those memories will attempt to sustain us in the time after, and when the pain of the loss is paramount, all we can do is pull out, share, and relish those memories. It's so very important to make memories while you can. Cancer has been an evil foe for many, and it seems as though our fate has included far too many battles with the beast. Sister, father, aunts, grandfather, friends, and four amazing, loving Myjoy poodles have all succumbed to the terror that comes with the dreaded disease. They say when someone passes from cancer, that they lost their battle, but I strongly believe there is no battle to be won, that life struggles to overcome, and inevitably loses its hol...