Holidays can be hard...

[labblab]

Oh Colleen, thank you so much for your hugs and your kind words! I really, really appreciate them.

And I just now went back and found I was able to add your sweet photo of your Daddy and Ginger. Whew! So here are your two sweethearts for all our family to share with you now. Forever in our hearts. Forever!


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[gingerbread]

Awww... thank you so much!

[labblab]

In the midst of some early morning internet surfing, I came across this graphic that stopped me in my tracks. The graphic illustrates a model of grief that was first proposed by Dr. Lois Tonkin back in 1996. In discovering the graphic, I also discovered a website that looks to provide a lot of grief support (https://whatsyourgrief.com/). I’ll be checking out the website in more detail later on. But in the meantime, here’s the graphic of Dr. Tonkin’s model. It brings me comfort and also hope for growing some new memories for our family at the beginning of this Thanksgiving week.

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[Joan2517]

Have a good trip, Marianne! And a very Happy Thanksgiving!

[gingerbread]

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! A few tears, some regrets and a lot of loneliness without our sweet Ginger.. the firsts are oh so difficult. But I am reminded of all those 15 wonderful Thanksgivings we did get to share with her and how spoiled she was! I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Hope this finds you all well and praying the good memories of the past and the ones you are making today truly soften the broken hearts, even if just a little.

[labblab]

Well, Thanksgiving is in the memory book now and today I start to pull out Christmas decorations. There were some bumps with our trip, but overall I’m very glad we went. Also very glad we’re safely home again, though. Traveling was definitely a strain on Luna, and she’s wobblier now than beforehand. But miraculously, her appetite seems back to normal. Don’t know whether it’s the appetite stimulant that we’re still giving her, or getting rid of those darn fleas, or just good fortune. But at least that’s one stress that’s been relieved, at least for the moment.

The weather is making it hard to feel very Christmasy. Record-breaking heat last week, and now a rainy stretch ahead of us. We picked out our tree in shirt sleeves on Wednesday; it’s soaking in a tub of water in the basement until this weekend when we’ll put it up. But I’ll start in with a few other decorations today. Most will just stay in the boxes since we’ll still be doing no entertaining this year and my house generally remains so cluttered that they’d just be lost from view even if I did put them out :-((((((. You can guess what my New Year’s resolution is gonna be…

All in all, feeling pretty melancholy this morning. I don’t mean to complain since we’re still so much luckier in the midst of the pandemic than so many. But it’s hard not to reflect on those happier days when I’d be bustling around to prepare for holiday guests and family feasts. I knew when my mom died that I’d need to forge some new traditions. But then along came COVID and I feel like I’m still in suspended animation. I need to be looking forward but for now it’s a lot easier to keep looking backward. So that’s where I am on this rainy morning, hauling out my boxes and revisiting my ghosts of Christmases past…

[gingerbread]

Hello.
Glad you are home safely and Luna's appetite is better. We are unseasonably warm here in Indiana also. Hope we have a white Christmas at least. I understand the melancholy feeling. Things are never the same after loosing a parent... it is hard to look forward because we have so many memories behind us.
It is the same with our sweet Ginger. Am feeling so anxious.. her stocking is hung because it didn't feel right to not hang it, yet it is heartbreaking to not shop for her. I am right there with you and for you.

[Squirt's Mom]

Marianne, I am so glad you got to take your trip and so very happy Luna did as well as she did. I pray you have many, many more memories to make with your sweet girl.

Holidays for me aren't much fun any more. Especially since COVID hit....most of my family doesn't believe in the virus and refuses the vaccines so I haven't been able to spend time with them in almost 2 years. A few brief visits outside is about it. So Thanksgiving was me and the dogs with a meal provided by the church. But we had a peaceful, restful day, glad to have each other, a warm home, good food, and plenty of love to go around. This past Sat. I took my grandsons shopping and out to eat for their Christmas and we had a great time. They got to pick out some clothes, shoes, art and craft supplies, as well as some oddities that caught their fancy. I was thrilled when they said they wanted to shop for art supplies! The oldest grand one (20) is very creative and artistic, the youngest (almost 17) has had his creativity stifled but it's starting to peek out slowly these days. Life wouldn't be worth fighting for without them.

This last year has been hard...actually the last 2 years. The youngest grand had a tumultuous year that resulted in complete upheaval of the only life he's ever known leading him to a state of intense trauma that required some in-house professional help. He lived with me for several months until his dad was able to take him. He is still fragile but doing much better thankfully. In fact, he seems happier and more content than I have seen him in years. No one had any idea what he was suffering all that time.

Something is still wrong with my digestive system and recently I started rapid weight loss - 7 lbs in one week for example. So now my docs have stopped ignoring me and looking at me as if I have a loose screw and are going to start testing all over again after the first of the year. They've been telling me it's due to NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and nothing can be done at this stage. They have come full circle and now think it's gallbladder again even tho that was ruled out repeatedly over the last 2 years. Apparently there is one test they could have done but haven't for that organ. LOL Anyhooooo....being sick almost every day with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and pain has resulted in some depression. The things I would typically do to keep my mind occupied just haven't been possible so that leaves me alone with my mind...and that ain't a good thang usually. I had stopped decorating for Christmas for the most part a few years ago but the last 2 I simply haven't been able to muster any desire or energy for that at all. And I used to go overboard. I miss that excitement when those totes are opened and all those shiny meaningful ornaments are laid out for placement on the tree....but I don't miss the work involved. LOL I have separated the ornaments into large totes for each of the boys, given away most of my decorations, and keep the rest tucked away in the closet thinking maybe one day.

These things and others (like internet issues, computer issues, cataract surgeries) have kept me offline a great deal and that's not really a bad thing but it has meant I am out of the loop often. Facebook is becoming very frustrating on MANY levels and most days it is a forced affair for me to sign on there and participate in anything. But this place is, has been, and always will be special; it's home. It's where my Squirt and Trinket and Brick and Crys and so many others shared their lives...it's where they are kept safe. And I have missed this place and all of you more than I can find the words to express. I am going to do my utmost to be here more often in the time to come. This is where I belong.

It is my fervent prayer that each of you have the most wonderful, blessed Holiday season possible. That you all stay safe and well and whole. That your hearts be filled every day with joy, love, and laughter. That your Souls find peace and hope in every breath you take. That you are able to find pleasure in your loved ones and the times you share together. And that the coming year is the best you've ever known.

Merry Christmas, K9Cushing's Family, and a Happy New Year!
Leslie, Bud, Tilly, and Sophie

[mytil]

Firstly I want to wish our cushings family here a happy holiday season!!!! However you celebrate it, it is a time that has a special meaning for all - maybe a time for reflection, remembering and renewal.
We lost our boy, Clancy, on Christmas eve so many years ago and it seems like yesterday! We also lost our Myclan between Christmas and New Years several years ago. Needless to say the Holidays are incredibly hard for me; even after all this time. But we do smile here as the wonderful memories of our "puppers" shine through.
May peace and good health greet everyone of you this Season!
You all are part of a very special family here!!!
Terry

[labblab]

Oh Terry and Leslie, it’s so good to hear from you guys! Although I’m beyond sorry that you’re still feeling so poorly, Les. I’ll sure be keeping you in my thoughts and we’ll be anxious to hear any updates about your testing. This has dragged on for far too long, now, and I hope your doctors will finally get cracking. And I totally understand about downsizing the decorating. Even without your health issues, I haven’t had either the will or energy to set out very many decorations this year. We did get our tree put up, though, even though it’s a bit smaller than in years past. And I did find comfort in hanging my most special ornaments once again, in honor of beloved family and friends. I especially treasure those that have been gifted to me — I know you totally understand about that, Les. I’m so glad you had such a special time with your grandsons. I’m sure that was probably the greatest Christmas gift you could have received. Hang in there, my very dear friend, and my fondest wish for you in this coming year is a return to better health!

And Terry, Omigoodness, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas without having the chance to greet you, too! All the years we’ve been like sisters together tending the ILM forum — through the good and the bad. I do know how poignant the holidays have to be for you, what with your losses. And I always think of Patrick and Rags, too (for our other readers, they were dear members of our K9C family who we lost at Christmastime many years ago). Sooooooo many memories of *everything* we’ve shared together — thanks so much for stopping by once again!

Merry Christmas to you both, and to all the rest of our dear family!