Smudge

✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ

"How long will the pain last?" A broken-hearted mourner asked me.
"All the rest of your Life," I have to answer truthfully. We never quite forget.
No matter how many years pass, we remember. The loss of a loved one is like a major operation. Part of us is removed, and we have a scar, for the rest of our lives.
As years go by, we manage. There are things to do, things to care for, tasks that call for full attention. But the pain is still there, not far below the surface.
We see a dog or a cat that looks familiar, hear a voice that echoes, see a photograph we put away, see a landscape that once we saw together, and it seems as though a knife were in the wound again.
But not so painfully. And mixed with joy, too, because remembering a happy time is not all sorrow; It brings back some happiness with it, too.
How long will the pain last? "All the rest of your life."
But the thing to remember is that not only will the pain last, but the blessed memories as well.
Tears are proof of life; The more love, the more tears. If this be true, then how could we ever ask that the pain cease altogether? For then the memory of love would go with it.
The pain of grief is the price we pay for love.

Unknown author

✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ✽ܓ

Mel Xxxxx (Aunt) September 15, 2009

XXX My Sweet Smudge XXX

Smudge, a year has passed. I can't believe it's been a whole year. Time has flown as has your sweet soul. I hope you are happy, sweetheart. Not a day goes by when I don't think of you. You brought such joy into my life. My guiding light.
I treasure your memory. I miss you a lifetime, my gorgeous little boy.
XXX NIGHT BABY XXX

Emma Doe (Mother) September 15, 2009

Precious Love

The agony is so great...
and yet I will stand it.
Had I not loved so very much...
I would not hurt so much.
But God knows I would not want to diminish
that precious love...
By one fraction of an ounce.
I will hurt...
And I will be grateful for that hurt
For it bears witness to the depth of my love.
And for that I will be eternally grateful.

AUTHOR:UNKNOWN

Joanne Stella'S Mam September 12, 2009

THERE IS A NEW STAR SHINING IN THE SKY TONIGHT...
by Sarah Hartwell

There is an old belief that the stars shining in the night sky are the
spirits of those who have died. They have shed their earthly bodies and
exchanged them for bodies made of light; thousands upon thousands of our
dear departed friends all promoted to glory in the night sky. There is
another saying that the brightest flame burns the shortest.

My friend, you were the brightest star in my own universe. While I burn
on, my flame dimmed by grief and despair at your passing, the stars are
watching me. They are too far away for me to touch, just as you have
gone somewhere I cannot follow until my own star-time comes. They
cannot be held close for comfort, just as I can no longer hold you
close, though I held you close to comfort you in your final hours. We
were together for such a short time, but the stars will burn forever.

One day I will grow tired of this earthbound body, my own star-time will
come and my spirit will soar into the sky to burn with all those friends
who have gone before me. On the inky cloth of space we will be reunited
in constellations of joy. Until then, my flame burns low and dim and
cold without you. Through my tears I look upwards to see if you are
watching me and what do I see?

There is a new star shining in the sky tonight.

Sue Smith September 12, 2009

♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥
~~ Don't Wait For Me Outside the Pearly Gates ~~
(by Jeanie E. Tam. Copyright 2009)

Don't wait for me outside the Pearly Gates,
though the field is golden and the wind is sweet.
Go on in, cos I might be late,
and say hello to my grannies, whom you may meet.

Think of it as a vacation,
where you'll run freely, and bounce, and binky,
with plushy grass to lay your head
and no prey or pain to make you weary.

If Fate will have it our way,
the years will come to pass.
With all my deeds fulfilled, as He has intended, I pray,
I'll be at my destination at last.

I will tread on the golden field,
the same field you once were wandering.
It is beautiful there, I'm sure.
But it's no use standing there waiting.

So don't wait for me outside the Pearly Gates,
though the wind is sweet and the field is golden.
Just come greet me at the opening gates
when I arrive, and walk with me into Heaven.
♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥ ♥ .•**•.. ♥

Mel Xxxxx (Aunt) September 10, 2009

♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~ ♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~♥~ღ♥~♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~ ♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~♥~ღ♥~
The Storm.
Written by Judey LaRocca

The first wave hits with a tremendous force,
So strong you think you’ll die.
There is no refuge from the storm,
And you utter a desperate cry.

The oceans rage, you understand,
Things will never be the same again.
You look to the heavens with tears in your eyes,
And say “Good-Bye” to your faithful friend.

The second wave hits with a force the same,
As the first wave did before.
You hold him close; kiss him one last time,
Whispering “I love you, I’ll never forget you”…
You walk out the door.

The waves continue strong and hard,
Each bringing grief and pain.
Disbelief overwhelms you…
“He’ll never come home again.”

The storm persists with waves of anguish,
Reflections of years gone by.
Questioning yourself about the things you’ve done,
And silently you cry…

You do not remember the good you’ve done,
Rather dwell on the things you didn’t do.
Another wave hits, you fight back the tears,
Engulfed by heartfelt sorrow…
Pain you never knew.

Thoughts of “Why didn’t I...” or “I should’ve done…”
Race throughout your mind,
Shadowing the good memories,
The memories that are left behind.

Each wave continues bringing grief and pain,
Though now they are not quite as strong.
Repeatedly crashing down on your heart,
You pray for them to be gone.

Gradually, the waves do subside,
Yet some still cause pain and despair.
Little by little the good memories emerge,
And you remember the love you shared.

Your heart still aches, the tears still fall,
But the storm is reaching an end.
You can smile now, even laugh,
Bittersweet are the memories of your faithful friend.

The skies are brightening, the sun is appearing,
The ocean is calm once more.
The waves that ravaged your sanity,
Now lap gently, upon the shore.

In the light of the sun, the memories are clear,
You are no longer filled with pain.
Once again you think of your faithful friend,
And smile, when you speak his name.

A rainbow appears above, in the sunlit sky,
Quiet thoughts of him brighten your day.
The sunshine reflects the brilliance of his life,
At last you realize, he lives on in your heart and you will,
Be together again…
Someday.
♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~ ♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~♥~ღ♥~♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~ ♥ღ♥~♥ღ♥~♥~ღ♥~

Mel Xxxxx (Aunt) September 4, 2009

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
They enter our lives wide-eyed and lovable
with the innocence of a child
and yet they seem to have the wisdom of the ages within their spirits.
Not having verbal skills has enabled us to confide in them
more than we would a human companion.
If you look deep into their eyes
you must believe that they understand
what we need and are just waiting for us to allow them to meet that desire.
They ask for little, some food some water but most importantly
our touch when we have time.
For this they devote their entire life to us.
They don't accuse us they don't judge us.
They are content to lie by our side.
What have we humans done to deserve such loyalty?
We forget about them when it is not convenient
we throw them away when the novelty wears off.
Yet they still come back for more.
They are known as companion animals and
they take their responsibilities seriously.
Some companions have the tenderness to work with the sick
others have the ability to guide the blind or assist the disabled.
While others work in law enforcement or in rescue work.
Then there are those whose main mission
in life is pure companionship.
Many of us grew up with the belief in guardian angels
sent down to earth to watch over us.
I wonder if our beloved pet companions are the
personification of these guardian angels.
Then the heart breaking moment comes;
God is calling them home.
We beg Him to give us more time but His will must be done.
It is time for our babies to start their new journey with their new family.
For some of us we must assist our companions
in their journey by allowing them to go.
We must cut the leash that binds them here.
We must continue on without them and we doubt that we can.
Eventually the veil of darkness lifts from our hearts and
we realize that life is a circle.
The end of one life means the beginning of a brand new wondrous life.
Just as the seasons come and go, so shall we.
Our babies have soared to the
heavens and for every baby that has passed a star is born.
Their light shines down upon us.
The memories of their love and devotion fill our hearts and the tears turn to smiles.
We come to recognize that we will be re-united again with our babies and
until that time we continue the circle of life and
love by sharing our home with a new bright eyed baby and
the circle begins again.

(Submitted by Noreen and Mac)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Mel Xxxxx (Aunt) August 29, 2009

We long for yesterday and you darling. xxx

•♥ YOU WERE HERE ♥•
Copyright (c) Jenine Stanley, 1999

As I sit in those moments of quiet,
When sadness invades me,
I know that yesterday,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
Now you are away from us,
Not knowing your future,
Or when you'll come home, but yesterday,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
It has now been a week,
A week since you last were in the house,
An entire week since we carried you away,
To the place where we did not know your future,
But just last week,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
Another day passes;
a week ago, you were still with us,
In daily reports from the clinic,
They did not know your future,
But we could still hope, and,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
More days pass;
A week ago you left us,
Your head cradled in our hands,
Your spirit gracefully moving upward,
But for a few hours of that day,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
Sadness invades again,
As I know that once those hours pass,
I can no longer look back,
Over the span of a familiar week's time,
To find that comforting point when,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
More time will pass;
Sadness will not so much invade as menace,
And I will mark the days,
Saying things like,
"last month, last summer, last Halloween, last year,"
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
I dread that day,
One year from now,
That first marking of the time,
That your body was no longer with us;
Though we will never forget you,
Your tangible memory fades,
The feel of your fur, your head, your back, your weight against us,
The smell and sounds of you when,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○
The emptiness is beginning to fade,
To change into another reality,
One with you still playing a part,
But a role of ethereal presence rather than physical comfort we crave;
Your memory, your spirit, your essence and counsel,
Dwell with us, but this feeling is not the same as when,
You were here.
○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○•○

Mel Xxxxx (Aunt) August 26, 2009

♥Shadow’s Song♥
(Audrey E. Nickel)

I'm not gone...not really.
I haven't gone away...I've only gotten bigger.
My eyes, so bright, now shine among the stars.
My voice sings with the wind in winter, as I leap
and dance among the treetops.
I stalk the blown leaves in autumn, and brush the
flowers gently in the spring.
I come to you in dreaming, on feet grown dreamtime soft,
and lay my cheek against yours, and whisper:
"Peace be with you."
Someday we will play again together, you and I, among the stars.
'Til then, fear not to love, for your love gave my life meaning.
And I return that love to you...a hundredfold..a thousandfold..
Forever.

Mel Xxxxx (Aunt) August 19, 2009

♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥
WISHES
Copyright (2006) Kristin Sharer

We wish we could have told you,
in words you understand,
We wanted you to stay with us.
This wasn't what we planned.

We wish somehow to tell you,
how empty we now feel.
A part of us went with you,
a part that time can't heal.

We wish we had you back again,
to fill this empty space.
But one day we'll be together,
in a far, far better place.
♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥..*..♥

Mel Xxxxx (Aunt) August 14, 2009