Joy In The Mourning Sample

NOW

For the individual who Is mourning the loss of their pet aim to daily receive God’s Joy in the Mourning. It can be very hard when reality sets in, because the areas in one’s home or vehicle where the pet pranced, jumped, ran, ate or slept is now an empty space. Whether a pet expressed their personality with a unique sound, the shuffling of paws when it was time for them to eat or if they turned into a valiant guard when someone rang the doorbell, the truth is those daily patterns turned into the pet owner’s daily norm and Now it suddenly stopped. Now it’s quiet, Now it’s about adjusting in confidence, joy and trust.  When one has to make a quick transition from Then to Now in a matter of days, seconds or hours it can feel like an emotional rollercoaster no one cares to understand or even talk about. 

Now one is forced to bounce back quickly because not a lot of people converse about pet loss. Although losing a pet is disheartening, the reality is that moving forward is NOW a priority. Moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting about the pet’s memories and one’s shared experiences but it does mean to not get stuck in the past.

Some days of moving forward will be harder than others. When my dog Rustie was sick, I visited him at the Animal hospital.  When I saw his condition I cried and after crying I thought that I was prepared for any challenge regarding him ahead. I would visit Rustie in the morning at 7:00 a.m. daily upon his arrival at the Animal Hospital to just talk to him, let him know I was there and pet him. But when he died the Monday morning right before I was to go see him, that was a disruption in my routine.

I had it in my mind that although he was sick he would be ok and would eventually come home soon because the Vet said he was making great strides in regaining his health and strength back. But when he died I had to immediately come to grips with NOW, which meant I have a new routine now which is processing the pain, the hurt and loss and using what my family members and I went through to encouragingly help others. Now it’s about moving forward and finding Joy In The Mourning.