10 year old female beagle just diagnosed with Cushings - Ginger has passed

Bless his heart..please thank him for his understanding. You have a good man my friend. Thank you for lighting the candle for me.. much needed and much appreciated.
Blessings, Colleen

Hello all! Hope this finds everyone doing okay.
I am at 129 weeks as of last Sunday that my sweet Ginger has been gone. Today was her birthday.. her 3rd in Heaven. Gosh I miss her terribly. I know I always will and I know "Anniversary days" ( I hate calling them that), will always be hard. I don't think we ever really quit doubting our actions and decisions. The regrets... the why didn't I do this... they will always haunt me. I talk with her every day, reassure her just how much she was loved, how special she was and how very much she is missed. And I share my mistakes I feel I made with her and tell her I am sorry. If nothing else, it helps me feel a little better.
But her birthday, and the day she passed will always be difficult and very emotional. I accept that.
Update on my husband... he is coming along. Healing well. I am encouraging him to get out with me amd walk around the store some or outside and do a few blocks to the post office or up through town. We only have one street that is town really, what business is here is on Main Street. So it is nice to walk up and around and down through town. We only live a block off Main Street. So he is getting his strength back, I think the more he will walk, the quicker he will regain his strength, he tires easily still. All I can do is pray and encourage..
Okay, I have rattled on long enough... praying you all have a safe Labor Day weekend. Stay healthy and be blessed.
Blessings, Colleen

Joining you in wishing a happy heavenly birthday to precious Ginger. Sending huge and loving hugs.

Thank you so much. All are welcome and needed.
Much love and hugs back.
Colleen

Count me in, too, Colleen! Sending my belated birthday wishes to Angel Ginger, and sending virtual hugs to you. I’m very relieved to hear that your husband continues to heal, but I realize it remains a journey for you both. Maybe the coming of some cooler fall weather (hopefully *really* soon for us all!) will make it far more pleasant and rejuvenating to get out and about. I really cannot believe it’s already Labor Day weekend. It seems like only yesterday that I was planting all my summer flower pots, and now they’re all pretty much maxed out <SIGH>. But overall, right here we’ve been spared most of the horrible extremes that have plagued so many folks lately, and for that I am most grateful. Anyway, I send my best wishes your way, as always!

Marianne

Belated Happy Birthday to our precious Ginger! I hope my Squirt didn't steal all her birthday cake! :o

I am very glad to hear your hubby is up and doing better. Walking is good for you or so I'm told. I don't have anyone forcing me to test that claim tho so remind him how lucky he is to have you at his side. I pray he continues to improve and regain his strength.

Hugs,
Leslie

Hell0 my friends! Just checking in and checking up on how everyone is doing!
Yesterday was 139 weeks wirhout my sweet Ginger. Gosh the crisp fall days can surely hit hard. I do think it was Gingers favorite time of year! She loved finding the deepest leaves to walk through. Sometimes all I could see was her little head! She was such a character! I have 2 pictures of her when we were living back in Colorado when I was raking leaves. One, she is sitting in the middle of a big pile I had raked up. The second picture she hopped up on to and in the black trash bag I was filling with leaves!! She sat there pleased aa punch!
I sure cherish those times... cherish every day I was blessed to have her! I still struggle with the guilt, the shoulda, coulda, woulda's.... I most likely always will.. perhaps we all do in our own way. I am still learning that it just has to be a part of my life now. There is no wrong or right when it comes to grief. As long as we do no harm. The guilt... I try to sort through, but it only shows me my failures even more. I cannot change any thing. I talk with her every day.. I see her everywhere I go because she was always with us. It is heart warming to know we never left her alone, but heartbreaking that she isn't here to still be enjoying all the things we did. I can talk about her and the memories easier at times, which is improvement. Other times I just cannot and that's okay. A love as we shared, as many of you have shared with your babies, shouldn't be easy to get over or put away. The happy and the hurtful are all part of living and loving, loving and loosing.
What an honor to have known the love of a pet, the love of my Ginger.
Blessings to each of you, hugs, Colleen

Hi, Colleen! You probably don't remember me--it has been several years since I posted here re my journey with my beagles, Maggie and then Abbie. I am sure they greeted Ginger when she passed and they have all formed a fun beagle pack. I am now here with my third beagle rescue, Sadie Sue, who was recently diagnosed with Cushing's. I just wanted to touch base and encourage you to keep remembering all the good times you had with Ginger.

Hi Judy. I do remember you and Maggie and Abbie! I am glad you have another, Miss Sadie Sue! I am so sorry about her diagnosis of Cushing's! My Ginger stsrted off with Addison's and within a few years it went into Cushing's, which, from what I have read is the mirror of Addison's. Ging had a good, long life for all she went through. I think it was just having to make that decision, never being through it before and not being sure we made the right decision at the right time. It was just so, so much at that time. We second guess everything.
That said.. I am trying to hold on to the fact that "Death ends a life.... not a love!" I am sure your Maggie and Abbie greeted my Ginger.. she never liked being alone. We never left her.
Blessings to you and Miss Sadie Sue.. I check now and then so if you need an ear, I am here.
Blessings to all, Colleen

Greetings one and all and Merry Christmas! I pray you and your fur babies are all doing well. 146 weeks, my third Christmas with my beautiful little Ginger beside me. Oh how she loved Christmas. Mainly the cooking and baking I did, but she also loved ripping up paper and cardboard. It was fun to watch her tear off the paper for a single little Milk Bone! I loved wrapping up little things like that for her and stuffing a few down in her stocking. She would always get a new "baby"(stuffed animal) and a new blanket some years. So many precious memories I cherish. We have had a red bird( Cardinal) visit us quite often she Ginger passed. A lot of times on a Sunday and it was a Sunday we had to say goodbye.
I still want her back, miss her terribly. But I wouldn't want her to suffer any more. I know she is free and waiting for me.. that is what I hold on to. Just checking in and wishing you and yoir a Merry Christmas and wonderful New year. Blessings always, Colleen

Merry Christmas to you, dearest Colleen! Sending huge hugs with love.

Oh Colleen, Merry Christmas and many blessings flowing right back to you on this special morning! Hopefully a beautiful red bird will pay you a special visit today, if not outside your window then lovingly in your mind’s eye.

Always in loving memory of your precious little girl,
Marianne

You know what?? A female Red Bird was here this morning when I went out to feed the birds! Even though it was lightly raining. She showed up! My heart just melted!����

Omigoodness, a bit of Christmas magic for sure!!! I know how grateful you had to have been for this most special gift.

More hugs beaming their way to you, my friend!
Marianne

I hope your Christmas was joyful, Colleen, and that 2024 brings you much joy and adventure. I am so lucky to have Cardinals around all the time. Them and Dragonflies. Once a Dragonfly flew just in front of my windshield for miles and I couldn't help think it was my daughter or Squirt teasing me...that would be just like either one of them! I know how special it is to see one of these birds or "Evinrudes" at time when most needed.
Hugs,
Leslie

Hello all! I hope this finds everyone doing well! Last Thursday March 7th marked 3 years since Ginger passed. 156 weeks. It's so hard to believe it has been that long, and yet it seems forever since I have had her in my arms! Boy when they talk about grief being different for everyone and no journey is the same, it is so true!!! I miss her every day.. I know I always will. In some ways I guess I am glad as it tells me how much I loved, and love her. It isn't as hard as it used to be most of the time, but at times it is!! Well just wanted to check in. Say hello and share! May you all be blessed and comforted. Love you, Colleen

Dearest Colleen,

Sending hugs and loving hugs.

Thank you. Sending them your way as well!.
It is so wonderful to have a group that truly understands. So many just don't get the connection we have to our pets. So I appreciate all of you!
Blessings. Colleen

Good evening all. Hope everyone is doing well and your families are also. Just checking in... doing okay here. We finally are into spring! Yay!. Things are greening up and before long it will be planting season. I am so ready.
Not too many places we can go and not think of our Sweet Ginger.. she went everywhere with us. What a joy to have that to remember. Sometimes it's sad and lonely. Some places we just can't bring ourselves to go.. I imagine that is normal, or if not, a new normal for us. I read something the other day I think about you all...
Bear with me as I cannot add a photo..
"See you later"
I have learned a few things about grief.
It is not a temporary feeling, but rather an eternal one with many changing seasons. Grief hurts in places that are hard to point to because the pain in your heart overflows into every other crevice that exists inside of your body. Sometimes grief longs to be held and pushes you away at the same time. It runs for both freedom and shelter. It wants to heal but without letting go. Grief lands ipon your chest whenever and however and wherever it chooses. It is not bound by space or time or distance and I can guarantee you that it will always find a way to come to the surface. Grief lays it's weary head down and waits for rain. for sun. For wild winds. For peace - oh precious, precious peace. Grief reminds us that death is not a goodbye. But the longest and hardest " see you later"... Ullie- kaye
My prayer is that this may help whoever may need help. Please remember you are not alone.
Blessings always, Colleen.

Quote:

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Sometimes grief longs to be held and pushes you away at the same time. It runs for both freedom and shelter. It wants to heal but without letting go.

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Oh Colleen, thanks so much for sharing this new writing that you’ve found. The timing is especially poignant for me, and the little section above feels especially personal. This past week I’ve been sorting through boxes of old papers and articles that have been accumulating for years. My heart skipped a beat (several beats!) when I came across a box filled with emails and research I had been doing on behalf of two of my dearest friends. Ten years ago, within one month of one another, they were both diagnosed with what turned out to be terminal cancer. And they both passed away during the next year. But in between, we had been in such close contact. I had tried to search out clinical trials, and to coordinate with other friends as we tried to offer all our love and support.

Over the years since then, my grief at losing them still resurfaces often but has now largely become a tender ache. But re-reading all those emails, well, you can imagine. The past became the present again with the searing pain. But the crazy, crazy thing is that I also once again felt closer to my friends than I had in quite some time. And there was such a strange sweetness to that. So in a way, a gift alongside the pain. Maybe two sides to the same coin. The writing you’ve shared does indeed help me this morning with my heart and my thoughts, so I thank you very much.

And as always, it is just so good of you to check in. Spring has definitely arrived here, as well. So I’ll soon be off for a morning walk in the sunshine and flowers…

Many hugs,
Marianne

Hi again, Colleen. I thought I'd pop back to add a little quote that I just came across this morning. I've been following some twitter postings about a mom in England who's trying to locate her little girl's beloved doll who was lost on a train trip. (IMO, this is the kind of thing that still gives social media some value -- it's amazing how you can mobilize the entire world to help problem-solve the search for a missing dollie!).

Anyway, one person recounted a quote which has been attributed to Franz Kafka at a time when *he* tried to help a little girl search for a doll lost in a park. Supposedly Kafka assured the little girl that the doll was off having new adventures of her own. And after time passed and the original doll was never found, he gave the girl another doll with a little note tucked tucked inside:

"Every thing you love is very likely to be lost, but in the end, love will return in a different form."

I have no idea whether anything about this story is really true. But the quote, whoever wrote it, has really struck me. It is so stark. It makes me cry, yet it also gives me hope. It has really affected me today. I thought of you, too, immediately. So I just wanted to share it with you since perhaps it will speak to you in some way, as well.

Best wishes as always, my friend.

Good evening my friends! Hope this finds you all doing okay on the Labor Day weekend. Today, Sept.1st is Ginger's Birthday. Her 4th in Heaven.. on earth it would be her 20th. Thinking hard about my little girl. I think of her
every day, miss her every day, but, as you all know the "Anniversary " days are hardest. Such a hole that little ol girl left in my heart... in a way I am really, really thankful for that hole.. I know what filled it for so many years and I am honored I was allowed to be her mom for so long. It is never long enough, never will be. Just try to hold on to the " what was". Hope you are yours are doing well, staying healthy. Blessings, Colleen

Hello dear friend Colleen! We’re very grateful for the opportunity to join you in honoring sweet Ginger. Where, indeed, does the time go??? At times, it seems like only yesterday that we were first bringing home our sweet bundles of fur. This past week would also have marked our little Luna’s earthly birthday — her 16th. That was also the time when my mom relocated to her retirement community here in Georgia. So we had her, Peg and Luna all three with us. I remember those days with such joy. What a very, very special time that was in all our lives.

I know you always carry Ginger in your heart, tucked safely in a most special spot. But as you say, I also know how poignant these earthly milestones feel. So I share some special hugs with you today, in honor of all our sweet spirits. Never to be forgotten. Forever in our hearts.

Love, Marianne

Good evening everyone. Hope this finds you and yours all well. Have been doing okay here. We are due for an artic blast the next few days. I think I am ready for spring! We are fortunate this winter has not been too bad. Some heavy snow, but so far little brutal cold.. that is until now.
Ginger still weighs heavy in my heart every day. I don't think that will ever change, I kind of think I don't want it to.
I guess to miss someone forever, is to keep part of them alive within us, to hold on to who they were and what they meant to us. As life moves forward you learn to carry them with you, not only in your thoughts but in who you are." I came across this post recently when one of my nieces list her husband Dec.15th to a hit and run.. she is grieving and searching, reaching out. Bless her heart and the kids. We talk, I let her share what she is comfortable with sharing. I know how important that is as I received so much of that here, with all of you and I am forever grateful.
Christmas was wonderful. I still put Gingers stocking up. It doesn't feel complete without it.
Momma continues on.. her dementia is getting worse, but she will be 95 this May, Lord willing. It is heartbreaking to see the confusion and the look of her looking lost. But all in God's timing. I am just thankful to be here to help and spend time with her. Everything else is about the same. Just wanted to say hello and wish you all a blessed and Happy New

Hello Colleen, and thank you so much for your well wishes. Thank you also for the poignant quote you included. I am so sorry for your niece’s loss, and also for your mom’s struggles. I surely do understand your gratitude, though, for the ability to still help her and spend time with her. Today marks the sixth anniversary of my own mom’s passing, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about her and miss her. In line with your own thoughtful quote, here’s a simple quote from an online posting that I saw just this morning. Somehow it gave me a bit of peace on a morning that I needed it.

“What is grief if not love enduring.”

Everything else still stays pretty much status quo with us, too. We’re also having some very cold weather down here in Georgia, with maybe a chance for a bit of snow tomorrow. But thank you again for stopping by. It’s always so good to hear from you!

Marianne