LOSING A LOVED ONE

Most of us have lost a loved one, a parent, a child, a grandparent, a friend… or a relative of some kind. All of these are difficult losses but that’s not what I am thinking about. I am thinking about the loss of a pet.

Losing a pet to me is one of the most difficult things I have ever had to endure. The grief has lingered in me long and deep.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926–2004) a psychiatrist, developed a model of grieving into these five stages:
denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. This model is true but the stages are not always all of these or in this order…but most happen in our grieving process. The one Roz and I felt was initially grief and then just great sadness. I don’t know that these steps of grieving ever really ended and maybe they might yet. It has been five years. I only know that losing a loved one is tough to deal with, but we have to and I suppose that is some sort of acceptance.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus