06/10/2025
In honor of World Pet Memorial Day, I created this collage of some of the beloved companions I’ve cherished in this life—and will hold love for, forever—though they have passed on.
As I learn to better hold my grief and begin to resolve some of the feelings that remain tender and unresolved, I’ve come to recognize just how many beings have been meaningful parts of my life. I’m deeply grateful for every one of them who walked beside me at some point. While I wasn’t able to include everyone in this collage, each holds a dear and permanent place in my heart.
In lieu of hosting Healing Paws: Honoring Grief, Celebrating Love tonight, this is one way I am honoring the paws and claws that have touched my soul. The depth of grief we feel is simply the mirror of the love we’ve experienced.
Losing a pet is a unique kind of heartbreak. Our culture often underestimates the depth of our bonds with animals, and we may find ourselves feeling isolated in our grief. Yet animals offer us something profoundly special—a reciprocal experience of love, presence, and service that is often unmatched in our human relationships. They remind us to play and smile, even in heavy times. They offer loyalty, companionship, routine, and purpose. They accept us in every version of ourselves, through every chapter we live.
It’s important to make space to honor these feelings of loss. Finding meaningful ways to remember can bring comfort to an aching heart. You can hold your heart and remember. Create art in their memory. Share a story with someone who understands. Speak to your beloved across the veil—or write them a letter. Personally, I’ve found The Grief Recovery Method to be a helpful tool in my own process. And of course, there’s also laughter, breath, movement, play, and the healing connection of community.
To all the beloved creatures whose paths have now led beyond this world, I still feel you. I honor you. I love you.
Thank you, Nickky Wise of Solace Grief & Death, for co-creating Healing Paws with me. I look forward to sharing this offering with the community when the time is right. And thank you to everyone who has offered a loving ear and comfort during my moments of sorrow—helping me hold on until the skies turned blue again, the sun returned, and the moments rainbows reminded me: love never leaves us, it only changes form.
Radiant Renewal Whimszy Mather
