Ask Amy: A grieving human might look over the rainbow
Dear Sad: Losing a pet is a loss like no other, because we love and care for our animal companions differently than we do the humans in our lives.
Caring for an animal, especially through a long illness, is truly the essence of selfless and tender loving care.
Now is the time to apply some of that tenderness toward yourself and your husband.
Researching your question, I came upon a number of Facebook groups devoted to the loss of a pet. (Do an internet search on “pet loss bereavement.”)
Once you join a group. you will be able to post a photo of your beloved dog and write about your experience. The humans participating in these online groups tend to be extremely kind and supportive. And scrolling through the many postings, you will know that you are not alone.
While I have never necessarily subscribed to the comforts offered by the “rainbow bridge” concept, on one of these Facebook pages I saw a collage of photos of the late, great animal lover (and all-around wonderful human) Betty White, posing with her many dog companions over the years.
Knowing that in her very long life she had experienced this tender love and loss over and over again was truly inspiring, and I found myself hoping that her dozens of animal companions were waiting for her at the other side of that mythical rainbow bridge.
I hope you will find similar comforts as you process your own grief.
Dear Amy: I have an in-law relative who has been deaf since childhood.
A few years ago, I learned that this person reads lips.
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