It has been 11 days since our beloved dog Oscar died... what can be said? Grief is contradiction and conflict... the pain ebbs and flows... it is bearable, and it is not. I've talked about it, and I have not... I've gone about my business and I have not... it all helps, yet nothing helps at all. At this stage, you fear. Fear of when the talk stops, the thoughts of him stop, fear of the days passing... because it all takes you further away from when he was alive... grief is the very last connection... it inevitably ends... his daily presence is gone ... and it is truly over. Oscar's story is over... the Sue and Oscar story ends. And there is a Nigel story... our grief, my grief... yes shared, yes alone. Nigel & Sue continue, our grief over Oscar ends, but the loss remains. Contradictions. This is hard to explain. This is grief.

I am reminded of my mother's passing 11 years ago. The grief and loss is not so much lessor and not so much greater. The loss of a precious companion is certainly more acute... they are a joyous and filling presence in your everyday, their absence is inescapable. The loss of a mother is more nuanced... perhaps it is deeper, but it feels much the same. Our emotions are not so complex when actually felt... the heart loves what the heart loves...
Sue

Some quotes:

"If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness."
--Marjorie Garber

"Not the least hard thing to bear when they go from us, these quiet friends, is that they carry away with them so many years of our own lives."
--John Galsworthy