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Sometimes Learning is just Learning

© Irene Taylor

Sometimes learning is a lot of fun. Sometimes it is just learning. This thought has been on my mind a lot lately, since February 28 - the day we had to face a hard decision and put our little cat, Missy, to sleep. She was our cat for 14 years - a sweet little thing and not at all ready to leave this world. We loved her very much and were not prepared to let her go. But old age and kidney failure finally prevailed and we had to make that hard choice for her sake. But that is really a story for another day.

The story for today has been working at me since February 28. If I was having a hard time dealing with our loss, it seemed to me that others might be also. How many times had a student come to school telling about the loss of a pet? How many families were in need of help with this difficult subject? A letter sent by a friend which told the story of the Rainbow Bridge got me started on a search for some on-line resources that might be used to help families and children deal with the same pain I was feeling.

The Rainbow Bridge was my first stop. This lovely poem gives us hope that we may indeed be reunited with our much-loved pets one day. The Rainbow Bridge site has many resources for those grieving over the loss of a pet. You can enter your pet's name on a permanent web memorial, find other poems and stories, take part in a chat, or find special pet-loss e-cards. It is an excellent starting place for those who grieve.

Another helpful site is the Pet Loss Grief Support Website. This site also has many resources, including the Monday Pet Loss Candle Ceremony. You can add the name of your pet and take part in this world wide ceremony held every Monday night.

Next, I looked for books on the subject and was surprised at the number there were to choose from. Here are several that I found to be helpful:

If you visited the Rainbow Bridge site above, you may also want to consider reading The Rainbow Bridge with your child. It is the same story in picture book form.

The Tenth Good Thing about Barney, by renowned author Judith Viorst, is a great picture book to help a child deal with grief. This book tells the story of the loss of Barney, the family pet cat, and the children's efforts to deal with their grief. It is an excellent choice. See the Recommended Books list on the Welcome page for a link to this book.

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