…Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you…
I loved you so –
‘twas Heaven here with you.
~Isla Paschal Richardson
In the last couple of weeks, several of my friends have had to say goodbye to their beloved pets. Enough that it seems off-balance, somehow... sort of extreme, like the recent weather patterns. An oddity of nature.
But then, most of them are older pets, treasured members of their families. Perhaps it's just this age we've reached ourselves; puppies and kittens we gave into for our young kids have grown up beside them, gradually become more ours than our children's, and are reaching old age before us.
It's tough watching them grow old. Yet while we don't want to see them in pain, we don't want to let go and say goodbye, either.
When Jake, our old Black Lab, died years ago at 15, our vet sent us a card with the Richardson poem, above, printed inside. Reading it the first time was like having Jake speak to me - I knew it was exactly what he would tell us.
Of course it makes me cry even now when I read it, thinking of Jake, his "sister" Maggie, my precious kitty Char, sweet Chewy and Charly, little Frankie bird... there are so many impressions on my heart made by "God's Little People" (a term used by a blogger friend who rescues stray cats in Greece) and I wouldn't be who I am today without the blessing of them in my life.
Now we see our sweet Max aging fast. Eternal puppy on the inside, visible in his eyes, goofy grin, and playful spirit ... old man on the outside, obvious in his graying whiskers, limp and dragging rear leg.
Pythagoras said "Animals share with us the privelege of having a soul."
I believe this, too. I know it from looking into their eyes. I know it from the ache in my heart when I've had to say goodbye.
I also believe we could learn a lot from their sweet souls about love, honesty, faithfulness, joy...
To all my friends who have recently...well, ever...had to say goodbye to their furry or feathered or even scaly best friend, I'm sharing this poem with you. I hope you hear their hearts speaking to you when you read the words, as I did, and that it brings you comfort, as it did, and still does, to me.
…Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you…
I loved you so –
‘twas Heaven here with you.
~Isla Paschal Richardson
