Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Up in Heaven

"Our Creator would never have made such
lovely days and have given us the deep hearts to
enjoy them, above and beyond all thought,
unless we were meant to be immortal."
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

One of my earlier posts mentioned the passing of my fourteen year old dog, Cuddles. It was a very difficult time for me and especially painful to tell Little Chick about why her little furry buddy would not be back to snuggle up with her and play with her. It happened a few months ago and she has dealt with the thought of him being up in Heaven pretty well until this week.

When it first happened it had taken me a while to get the courage up to tell her. I made excuses about where the dog was and I simply could not get the strength or heart to divulge the truth. I finally explained that Cuddles was up in Heaven with her Granddaddy and Uncle George. She liked the idea that they were way up like the birdies watching over us and keeping us safe.

The other day Little Chick woke up and asked if she could take Cuddles for a walk. She said that she did not want him up in the big sky any more. My eyes welled up with tears as I had to explain to her that Cuddles would not be back, but that he was looking down on us from up in Heaven. She said she didn't want him there any more and that she wanted him to come home. She got very quiet and then said, "Mommy, I really miss him."

As a parent we want to protect our children from anything and everything that would ever hurt them, but the reality is that we can't always protect them. It is a hard lesson for both parent and child. We can only try our best to soothe their beautiful little hearts and souls.

Come and enter the raffle to the left!

19 comments:

  1. I remember how confused I was as a kid when our collie died when I was little. I think I was about 6 or 7 and my grandmother came back with a tin and told me that Laddie had gone to heaven and that I would see him again someday and then explained that his body was in the tin and we were going to bury it. I didn't get the idea of cremation and so for the LONGEST time I thought he had been shrunk down to a tiny size and put in a tin. I got the idea of death though right away and I was sad. In fact I usually get more sad about pets dying then people. Weird but true.

    It's good that little chick is learning about death at a younger age though. When you experience death at a higher age I believe it's more difficult to accept.

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  2. Awe! This made me so sad for little chick! )= I'm so sorry to hear about you dog passing!

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  3. Thats soo sad!! Looks like lil chick loved him. shes a sweetheart!

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  4. This post has me tearing up - so sweet and innocent, wouldn't it be nice to have our loved ones come back to us?

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  5. That must have been so sad for lil chick:(
    I love all the 3 pics showing her grow up with the Cuddles.

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  6. It is so true, we can't protect our kids from sad things...but it seems to be my first gut reaction! We have dealt with a lot of issues that, although I want to sugarcoat, if I actually empathize with my kids-- let them know how I feel about it, not hide that it affects me too-- it brings us closer as a family and they feel connected to me all the more. I am hoping these times when they are young are laying a strong foundation for open, honest relationships when they are older. Thanks for sharing, Mama Hen.

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  7. I know how you feel! We lost our dog of 11 years about a year and a half ago, and the kids still talk about him/miss him. I hope she feels better - sounds like she has the best support system - you! You're doing the best thing for her - staying compassionate and honest.

    Happy Tuesday. :)

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  8. We lost two dear pets in the fall. It's so very tough. We were very honest and let our boys be a part of "the process". I think it was absolutely the best choice.

    P.S. I'm so glad you stopped by! Thank you!

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  9. Thanks for stopping by my blog. So sad to hear about your dog. Such a hard thing to deal with.

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  10. It is hard to explain death to a child. She'll be okay. You'll get through it together.

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  11. Thanks for stopping by my blog! Sorry to here about your sweet Cuddles. Your blog is ADORABLE, by the way! :)

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  12. All dogs go to heaven. You'll see your sweet dog again one day. Thanks for following Just for Jack.

    C. Kirkpatrick

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  13. Aww, I know how you feel. My dog that was 14 years old went to heaven this January. My daughter still talks about him. The other day I heard her tell her friend about him going to heaven and mommy being sad. It's tough. Hang in there.
    I left you another award on my blog! Check it out!

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  14. Bless her little heart. She is a beautiful person inside and out. I know flying kites or sending up balloons always ease the pain and heart ache of losing someone dear to your heart.
    Have you thought about getting her a new dog?

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  15. awww - that was so sweet. it is so sad for kids (us too) when their pets go up to heaven. thanks for stopping by today - I'm following u :)

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  16. That is so sad! I think you did a great job with it though. How do you really explain to a child these hard things we can't even explain why to ourselves? It is a hard lesson indeed. If only we never had to do those lessons in life. :(

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