Showing posts with label Good byes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good byes. Show all posts

13 April 2011

Goodbye Sweet Guinnea Girl


Our sweet Guinnea Girl, who came into our lives and grew into our hearts when MGJ was just a toddler died last night. She was nearly 11. She was bumped by a car, and went immediately. She was in good health for an animal her age and breed, and amazingly more puppy like in the last weeks than in the last year.

There is a terrible sense of agony and loss ...
and there are reminders of her everywhere ...
The still full food dish, her leash on the back porch, her notable absence when I look out the kitchen window thinking I'll see her looking back at me ...

We got the call just after the girls had fallen asleep and we made the agonizing decision to get them up. To let them see and feel the fullness of death, up close and extremely personal, in the hopes that it would help them grieve more fully. And, so they could say good bye.

It was a harsh reality.

They cried, and then after waking fully and with more clear minds, sweetly prepared their good byes. We took off her collar and tags (one from the US and one from China). They crouched over her on her bed and wept, and petted her, their tears dripping on her still warm body. We clipped some locks of her hair. We thought of things that we wanted to bury with her.


Then Mr Johnson prepared her grave under the budding magnolia tree. And he placed her, paws crossed (the dainty way she often kept them), and buried her.

We are so sad.

We loved you
Miss Guiness, Guinnea Pal, Good Old Wet Nose, Puppins, Guinnea Girl.

We loved you all the way to China and back.



19 May 2010

Goodbye Season

It's a long, sad week of good-bye. We are packing in as much as we can into this short time: playdates, coffees, dinners ... with our friends who will soon emigrate to North America.

When we left them after dinner last night I told Mr. Johnson it's like hospice. You sit, forcing a smile to cover your sadness, smiling at the people who love to be with, fearful to make eye contact for too long, lest they see the misty eyes. You know that the moments are ticking away, and you know that they are going to a better place... but we are feeling so sad to loose them all the same.

E. and I had a good 30 minute cry before she finally climbed to her top bunk last night.

We're still scoping tickets for this summer, but I think we'll have to add Vancouver to the itinerary.