What a great way to restart my blog posts.
For those of you who do not know, I lost my tiny Pomeranian in late August. His little 4-pound body, just shy of 17 years old, decided, “Enough is enough,” and shut down. For those of you who believe, he trotted over the Rainbow Bridge and right into the waiting arms of my husband.
Dominic adored JoJo. People used to remark, “His feet never touch the ground.” That was pretty much true.
Though I had been prepared for a while, the emotional strain only added to the soul-searching and dissatisfaction I had been experiencing over the previous months with my other passion: writing. My blogs had been poorly written. At one point, I had thought about using ChatGPT, but then it would not truly be mine, and that would defeat the purpose of sharing my thoughts.
I miss my writing buddies in California. They would have exhorted me to keep going. And they would have been right.
So, I took JoJo to the vet’s office. I had decided to receive his ashes, just to keep. I have had several dogs in my life. I have buried them all myself. This one was different. He was the longest-lasting pet I had ever had, and JoJo was the last connection to Dominic.
JoJo never complained, even when he started having stomach problems. He traveled across the country three times, sleeping in strange motel rooms every night during those trips. He kept me company.
The vet was wonderful. She explained that it could take up to two weeks to get the ashes returned. I said that was fine. One and a half days later, the office called and said the ashes were ready.
I had to chuckle a little. They probably looked at that (now) 3½-pound body and said, “Well, this will take an hour!”
He sits among my houseplants. I’m hoping he is whispering to them to please do better. Anyone who knows my brown thumb will understand.
Two weeks later, I went to Italy with my two stepdaughters. We ended up in Palermo, Sicily, where Dominic, their father, was born. I didn’t have to worry about how JoJo was doing. For several weeks, I would still come out in the morning to check on how his night went. But before I could make it three steps, I would remember…
The question I have been asked the most? “Are you going to get another dog?”
My answer is, “Not right now.” In my heart, I know the right answer is, “Probably not.” But that would start a discussion, and I’m not really ready for a discussion.
In the next 12 months, I am going to do a lot of traveling. After that, I may see about rescuing senior cats (one at a time). They are good company. They deserve someone to care for them after being abandoned just because they are old. We shall see what the future holds.
Meanwhile, I am going to start up my blog again, right here, right now.
That is how I will deal with my grief.
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