I'm guessing I've painted close to 700 different animals during the last 3-1/2 years. So it's bound to start happening more frequently - the emails and letters sharing the sad news of the passing of one of my muses. I got two of them just this last week.
I can't get over is how little time we actually have with our pets. We're lucky we get a decade, and even more time is like winning the lottery, but there is no guarantee we'll even get a year. Yet we willingly jump in with both feet. Over and over and over again.
Last year when I lost Miah, the original black cat and studio muse (pictured above), it was devastating. I was still struggling with Turtledove's (her sidekick, also pictured above) death a few months earlier, and the entire house seemed like a shell.
It was the community of Dog a Day readers - you! - who gathered around and shored me up with tears, stories, and hope. I wasn't alone, it would get easier, and wasn't I blessed to have loved so strongly. Yes, yes and yes!
So it is with that in mind that I am introducing Painting a Dog a Day's In Memoriam pages on the one year anniversary of Miah crossing the bridge.
In Memoriam is a site where members of the Dog-a-Day community can share losses and stories, a place where we can revel in the joy of pet ownership alongside the sadness.
Those who are comfortable may send stories and one picture to me. I will publish to the site in a timely fashion (remember, I'm still painting daily too!!). Stories do not have to be novella length - they can be as simple as a sentence or two. The postings will remain archived and accessible, each pet to their own page, with commenting enabled. You may share your pet's eulogy with whomever you choose and visit the site as often as you wish.
Pets included must have been part of the Painting a Dog a Day project (I simply do not have the resources to include others at this time) but they do not have to have passed away recently. Please understand that submissions may also be edited for content or length, but that I will make every effort to preserve your tone and intent.
Like everything else Dog-a-Day related, I'll ask you to let me know of links and ideas I should add. I added several that I had personal experience with. I expect that I'll learn quickly of other bereavement resources and publications that should be a part of the website. Thank you in advance for your contributions.
I can hear my girls purring - this is a regular thing, hearing them when I feel calm and content. They like this idea. I hope that you do too.
Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend spent with or remembering your Mother.
See you Monday,
Kim
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