we are so grateful....for Amelia, and for you

Dan and I are absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support and prayers you have given to us and to Ella.  We have read each comment on the blog, each email, and each comment on Instagram aloud to one another and we have cried and sobbed.  We have felt so loved and held in this time of shock and grief over losing sweet Amelia so suddenly and too soon.    Your words have soothed our broken hearts, your tears have made us feel understood in our grief, and we have felt the love of your comforting hugs.

Knowing that so many of you are saying a prayer for Amelia has brought us the most special gift.  It is as if  all your many prayers are carrying her on wings of love and she is being ushered into heaven by you.  I can never thank you enough for making us feel this and making Amelia so loved in this moment.  She was our gift, and you are our gift also.  I cherish each and every one of you.  While we might not know each other personally I feel we know one another's soul- the soul that loves house and home and dogs (pets.)

To all of you who have mentioned your lost beloved pets- our sympathies to you. We are so grateful that you told us about your loves.

Tonight when I light our candles we will do it as a family and say "Thank you" for each and every one of you- you have given us the gift of love and prayer and understanding and we are so very, very grateful.

Through tears we Thank you.  

with much love,

Joan and Dan and Ella

"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own,
live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only certain immortality,
never fully understanding the necessary plan."

- Irving Townsend -

Several days ago I realized that we did not have any photos or video of Amelia running through the woods,  We always assumed we would have the luxury of time.  

Then, last night I found this photo on my phone (Amelia is on the left.)  

This is how we will always remember her...

"They come to us,
from shelters or friends or in any number of ways,
these beings of fur or feather or other outer shells.
They come to us wanting only
to be fed, sheltered, and loved.
And we take them into our homes and our hearts.
They may have prized pedigrees,
or they may be abandoned or abused
and rough around the edges.
But there is something about them,
some sort of light in their eyes
that tells us they are meant for us.
And a sweet dance of love
begins with our new friends.
We watch them delightedly discover their new home,
laugh at the antics of kitten or puppy,
smile as the former lost soul
settles comfortably into our arms.
They become a beloved member of our family,
a reminder of the uninhibited joy
that we have often forgotten how to feel.
The dog that excitedly runs
to greet his human friend returning home,
or the contented cat curled up on a lap
remind us of how large
unfettered love can be.
They come to teach us to remember how to love.
They come to teach us that our hearts,
so often battered by this world that we struggle through,
are still open enough to feel wonder and mystery
and a precious connection to another being.
And we love them, and care for them,
and experience the joy
we thought was lost from our lives.
But life is fragile.
One day, perhaps unexpectedly,
or perhaps after a long struggle with illness,
our precious friends are gone.
And we mourn them deeply.
We feel lost, and alone,
and that the joy is once again gone from our lives.
We feel anger, and pain, and fear.
We question Deity, and wonder why.
Life is fragile.
Their lives are more fragile than ours.
We cannot escape death,
and for it to take our most precious friends,
who ask so little,
seems unfair and too much for us to bear.
But they leave us always with a gift.
They leave us with that love they gave, that joy they sparked.
Our hearts are larger for having loved them.
We are enriched by having these special souls in our lives,
even if it was for too brief a time.
Love never dies.
And the love that was created
by our special friends who came into our lives
is a living thing,
always a part of our being.
We may think our hearts are closing again,
but we cannot erase the fact
that they have been opened.
They teach us love for a reason:
so that we will have it in our hearts always.
Each day, each act of kindness or love,
is a tribute to our pets who have moved on.
Honor your special friend with kindness and love.
Each day, reach out to your living companions
and let them know how precious they are.
Reach out to others in your life
and let the love your friend brought you live on.
Reach out to others in need, whether human or animal.
I can think of no better gift than the love they teach us.
And I can think of no better way to honor their memories
than by extending that love.
In this way, they will truly live forever."

- Ginger-lyn Summer -

Dan has said many, many times over the last several days that I have the most wonderful readers on my blog.  I could not have said it better or agree more. 
Right after Amelia passed Dan said a quote from the movie "Shadowlands"...

"The pain now is part of the happiness then.  That's the deal."

We both thank you so much for reaching out to us.  We are blessed to have you here,  
We are so very grateful to have had sweet Amelia in our lives, and for you.