The Importance of Remembering

I have been meaning to start a blog for over a year now, and there have been many times that I've thought "now THAT would be a great blog post".  Other more pressing things have gotten in the way, until now....now that I've been inspired by the event I attended this evening.

Tonight I went to the annual Pet Remembrance Ceremony presented by DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital and Dignified Pet Services. It was held at The Old Church in downtown Portland, which is a beautiful venue.  I went last year too, and I know that this will be an annual tradition for me now.

For those of you who have not gone, it is a relatively short but lovely gathering of animal lovers in our community - most of whom have either lost a beloved pet companion or are there to support their friends and loved ones who have.  There are a few musical performances, and several guest speakers.  One of my best friends, Enid Traisman, who is the Director of the Pet Loss Support Program at DoveLewis is usually one of the guest speakers.  Tonight she spoke of ways to help cope with the loss of your pet as you face the holidays - often a particularly difficult time of the year for those who have suffered loss.  The attendees were then invited to go down to the front of the church to light a candle in memory of their lost pet.  By the end, there were hundreds of tiny candles glowing up there on the alter.  Beautiful...and bittersweet.

Those who know me well know that it's hard for me to leave my house again once I'm finally back home after the workday. However, I will continue to go annually for several reasons. First, I find it to be a meaningful, symbolic way to remember my own beloved animals that I've lost over the years....most recently my 16 year old dog, Finnegan, who passed away in February. 

As time passes, these losses get a little less raw, but the relationships I have with and the love I have for these amazing souls is still very, very important to me.  Secondly, I feel the need to light a candle to represent all the beautiful animals that I've helped transition on this year.  I cheated a little - we were only supposed to light one candle - but I lit one for my own animals and one for my sweet patients that I've lost this year.  I light this second candle as an acknowledgement that each of these lives was, and is, very important, and to honor the special bond they have with their owners - my clients and friends.  Some of their owners wanted to be there but couldn't. Others choose to grieve in their own special way.  The candle I lit for all of my patients who have passed on this year is just a little flame, but I feel the enormity of what it represents.  I have witnessed the incredible love that these people have shared with their dogs and cats, and I am honored to have been invited into their homes to help them.

Leaving my warm house tonight to pay tribute to these amazing animals and their loving and special owners is the least I can do.  Many tears were falling in that church tonight, but it was a good and powerful thing. Cathartic, really.

I invite  you all to join us next year.