Layla - The Last Step

[Chris]

Layla's ashes arrived yesterday, and I wasn't prepared for how that would hit me. The bag is so small. I was reminded of Sara Henderson Hay's poignant Poem for a Dead Kitten:

Put the rubber mouse away,
Pick the spools up from the floor,
What was velvet shod, and gay,
Will not want them, any more.

What was warm, is strangely cold.
Whence dissolved the little breath?
How could this small body hold
So immense a thing as Death?

 

[RikyR]

So true, the urn is beautiful.

 

[ghggp]

We thought of you today, But that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday, And days before that too. We think of you in silence, We often speak your name. Now, all we have is memories And your picture in a frame. Your memory is our keepsake, With which we'll never part. God has you in His keeping, We have you in our heart.


I Lost a Treasured Friend

I lost a treasured friend today
The little dog who used to lay
Her gentle head upon my knee
And share her silent thoughts with me…

She’ll come no longer to my call
Retrieve no more her favorite ball
A voice far greater than my own
Has called her to His golden throne.

Although my eyes are filled with tears,
I thank Him for the happy years
He let her spend down here with me
And for her love and loyalty.

When it is time for me to go
And join her there, this much I know –
I shall not fear the transient dark,
For she greets me with her bark.

Author Unknown

 

[trini]

Chris, it seems somehow impossible that a small urn of ashes could even come close to holding all the life that Layla embodied. But her spirit lives on through the love you shared and that spirit will always be alive with you. Losing a soul that was such a huge part of your life is devastating and grief comes in waves even long after the loss and for you this loss is so recent and also came on top of losing Beckon just a few weeks before. Multiple close losses are especially tough, you don't have time to grieve the first when the second hits. My heart goes out to you on this journey of loss and grieving...it is not an easy journey.
Sending love and hugs, Trini

 

[Sharon7]

Oh what a beautiful urn. This part is SO difficult for me, always. When we lost Asta so suddenly and unexpectedly to a stroke, I could not stand to go back to the emergency vet to collect her ashes, and my dear friend did so for me. Chris, you have been so grounded in your loss of Layla, but no matter how prepared we think we are, no matter how much the passing means the end of suffering for our dogs, it just HURTS. In addition to losing Beckon not long before. I hope you get comfort from her being back in the bosom of her family again.

 

[Sharon7]

We thought of you today, But that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday, And days before that too. We think of you in silence, We often speak your name. Now, all we have is memories And your picture in a frame. Your memory is our keepsake, With which we'll never part. God has you in His keeping, We have you in our heart.


I Lost a Treasured Friend

I lost a treasured friend today
The little dog who used to lay
Her gentle head upon my knee
And share her silent thoughts with me…

She’ll come no longer to my call
Retrieve no more her favorite ball
A voice far greater than my own
Has called her to His golden throne.

Although my eyes are filled with tears,
I thank Him for the happy years
He let her spend down here with me
And for her love and loyalty.

When it is time for me to go
And join her there, this much I know –
I shall not fear the transient dark,
For she greets me with her bark.

Author Unknown

Gloria this is simply and exquisitely beautiful and says it all. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Shelby's mom]

I know how difficult it is to receive her ashes. I am so sorry you are going through this.

Gloria, the poems are beautiful and very well said.

 

[Caro]

Oh Chris, it is the hardest thing picking up their ashes, it's so final, so real. And I too was shocked how small the ashes are for such big personalities. I guess that just means there's more of them in heaven.

 

[Chris]

Having Layla and Beckon at my bedside...well, I am amazed at how much comfort that had brought. Yes, I know they are just the earthly remains, but they've already become a kind of touchstone for me. I'm taking a few days now to myself, going to the Mexican Rivera to soak up the sun and recharge. I've lost two dear friends, our cat, Beckon and Layla, and I'm in need of a reset.

 

[Sharon7]

You've been in intense and prolonged care-giving mode, Chris. Your trip sounds like just what you need. We've gone to Cancun multiple times, so enjoy that beautiful warm water and sun and hopefully you can rest mind, body and soul.