How my North Star Taught Me Love. I met Ahnung in October 2008 at Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. She had recently given birth to eight puppies. She was haggard and worn down and carried the unmistakable marks of a difficult life. She had no front teeth. Later I would learn she had survivedContinueContinue reading “The Guest Who Stayed:”
Tag Archives: loss
Tapestry of Grief
It’s September 14th, 2006. I’m at my veterinarian’s office as the dreaded words come out of his mouth, “she may have cancer – cancer of the spleen.” I look at Shen, my 11-year-old collie/shepherd mix. She looks healthy, vibrant even. How could she possibly have cancer? Over the past month she has had occasional episodes ofContinueContinue reading “Tapestry of Grief”
Grief’s Invitation: A Poem for Mister
On Christmas Day I find myself missing my boy Mister. He arrived in my life as a puppy. I was supposed to just foster him and place him up for adoption. I ‘failed’. In the animal welfare world the term you hear is ‘foster failure’, a term of endearment – when you end up adoptingContinueContinue reading “Grief’s Invitation: A Poem for Mister”
Lessons from Ahnung: Becoming friends with Grief
I have found myself reflecting back on old posts and journal entries I wrote shortly after my beloved Ahnung was diagnosed with mammary cancer in July, 2011. Losing my Papa at the age of 4 and never learning how to welcome and embrace the pain of loss I took on many survival strategies – numbing,ContinueContinue reading “Lessons from Ahnung: Becoming friends with Grief”
Ahnung Way 