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

[labblab]

52 weeks!!!! 1 year!!!���� I still have trouble accepting it. Can't believe it. It seems like it was just a few weeks ago, yet so very long since I held you, fed you, gave you a bath, took you for a walk, or a ride. Gave you kisses and stroked your long soft ears. I didn't know a heart could break twice along the same fault line until today.. I miss you Ginger, my baby girl and best friend. Forgive me for the times I lost my patience.. it wasn't many, but they still hurt.
You knew all my secrets and loved me anyway.
Mom always, always loved and loves you. Forever little girl! You are missed every single day! You filled a void no one else ever can.
... love mom..

Colleen, holding both you and Ginger in my thoughts today. It’s a rainy evening here, and I just now lit a candle to honor sweet Ginger. The raindrops seem like tears falling outside my window, but the candle’s glow is so comforting here inside my room. I am hoping the same may be true for your heart. That the loving forever memories inside your heart will help balance the sorrow of your loss.

Sending many, many hugs your way on this milestone anniversary and in honor of your precious girl.
Marianne

[gingerbread]

Marianne,
Thank you so very much. I, too lit a candle for my Ginger. We were rainy last night and this morning. Today cold, windy and overcast. I feel the warmth of the candle you lit to honor Ginger, as I feel my own. Yes, the rain at times is so much like tears falling from Heaven. I knew today would be hard, just didn't know how hard it waa going to be. But Ginger was worth every tear, every heartache every sleepless night. The fond memories and hood times are slowly creeping back in.
Blessings to you all.
Colleen

[gingerbread]

Good afternoon all!
54 weeks without my sweet Ginger by my side.. I so ache for her companionship. Those beautiful brown eyes, so full of love always! She lives on in my heart and forever will.. the best of the best! It is not uncommon to long for her, to miss her deeply, to talk to her daily and still feel regrets. The deeper we love, the harder the grief, and the stronger the longing to want to change the outcome.
Everyone's journey is different. It is there's to travel, but it doesn't mean you do it alone. Please don't hesitate to reach out. It is not a sign of weakness. It is one of the strongest moves you( we) can ever make.
Hugs to all. Be blessed on this gorgeous spring day.
Colleen.

[Squirt's Mom]

My goodness....those anniversaries never get any easier. Tho I will say that with time the birthdays and passing days aren't quite as painful as they used to be. Maybe that's because I am getting older and that means the time I have to wait to be reunited is getting shorter by the day. I have pictures of Squirt around my home and I talk to them all the time. It helps a teeny bit on the worst days and on the better days it makes me feel as if she's just in the other room, listening. I see Squirt and my daughter in the Cardinals and Dragonflies and that helps most of all because I believe my beautiful girls are present in these other forms and coming to check on me, to let me know they are ok. I hope you are also finding little ways to keep your precious Ginger close.

Hugs,
Leslie

[gingerbread]

Oh yes! She surrounds me everywhere! She is beside my chair on a shelf just for her. She is with me when I walk where we walked. Her love forever there. In the cardinal's that visit and the gentle breeze. I kiss her good morning every morning and tell her goodnight every night and how much I love her and will see her soon.
Thanks Leslie. Big hugs!

[mytil]

Oh Colleen,
I know these anniversaries can be very, very difficult and it is also the small everyday things that get us too. I work mostly behind the scenes here at K9C and my heart still aches after loosing all of my doggies over these years. I do encourage you to keep posting. Grief can last a very long time and I truly think that one day you will find yourself suddenly smiling with some of the memories or even laughing at some of the funny antics of your sweet Ginger. I know my little Mytilda would do the funniest things just to make me laugh....she would do them and suddenly look at me saying ha ha I made you laugh.
Big (((((hugs)))))
Terry

[gingerbread]

56 weeks!! My heart is not ready to let go over the weeks yet and say year. Terry, thank you for your comments. Grief is a very long process indeed, especially when you have other issues you are dealing with.. we are all unique, no walk is the same, but we all share a common bond. I will keep posting. It helps me, but I hope it will in some ways help others. I do smile more with her memories, and we remember the stubborn, silly things she used to do. She was definitely a one of a kind! She rarely barked unless she hit a bunny trail while we walked her, or she saw something outside at night she could not identify. Too many times it was an empty grocery bag stuck on a low branch. When she needed out she would just go to the door and stand.. the only noise she would make was a low "uumph" after standing there and not being noticed.
I am feeling better now that the medication is working.. thankful that I have the support here and with others around me too! Both are key.. learning I can't solve everything all at once, and somethings never and that is ok..
Have a blessed week.
Colleen

[gingerbread]

59 weeks my little girl has been gone! Sundays will always be hard. I do cherish every single moment we had with Ginger. I know we are very fortunate to have had her. Loved her for 16 years! Much more than others have and I am forever grateful. My heart aches for all who have suffered this loss. It is a very hard and emotional experience. The grief at times seems unbearable, as do the regrets. Please know, even though this is a journey you will go through, your experiences will be unique, but you are never alone. Everyone has their own way of dealing with situations, with stress, grief, guilt, there is no right or wrong ( as long as we do no harm), and there is no set time limit. Allow yourself all the time you need, but know someone is always just a text away.
I continue my journey and will the rest of my days missing my precious Ginger, but remembering all the wonderful days and years she had. All the funny things she did and all the love she gave unconditionally! Healing takes time and it's okay to not be okay!
Sending blessings to all!
Colleen

[Squirt's Mom]

There is a wild flower named Erigeron annuus, commonly called Fleabane Daisy, that grows in my yard each spring. They were blooming big time in April of 2014, one month before my beloved Squirt passed. One of the last pics I have of her is standing in a patch of them looking over her shoulder back at me. I cherish that pic soooo much because shortly after she really declined. Now when those daisies appear I call them "Squirt's flowers" and mow/weedeat around them for as long as they last because I can see her face in every bloom.

Honoring our memories are a way of that deep, irreplaceable love alive forever. I have no doubt that Ginger and Squirt and all our other precious babies who have gone ahead hold memories in their hearts that keep us alive for them too.

(((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))
Leslie

[Joan2517]

I had a garden flag made of Gable with snow on his face and in the background. It was too late for this year, but it will be hanging in the front next Winter. He loved the snow so much and died before any of it this year. I have it hanging on my fireplace screen and he is looking at me every day. I'm going to have one made for Lena, too.

Leslie, that picture of Squirt would look lovely hanging in your garden.

The website is Zazzle.com...

And Colleen, I know what you mean about Sundays...I feel the same on Tuesdays and Fridays.