What it’s been like not having pets in my house for the first time in a long time. I always knew that day would come, where I would have to learn to live without pets in my life. For the last 26 years, our household has always been enriched by…

Reflections about my cat Zoey’s end of life chapter — Throughout my life, pets have always been a part of my family. I love all animals, but during the past 26 years ,cats have been my constant companions. My love for cats grew because of my late daughter Jeannine’s influence. …

Sometimes what we ask for exceeds our wildest expectations, leaving us in awe of what the universe manifests. — A Trip To The Windy City The Compassionate Friends 37th National Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois from July 11,2014 to July 13, 2014. This organization, with over 600 chapters in all 50 states plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam , provides support to families who have experienced the death of a child of any…

It all began with a simple sketch — In 2016, I attended a psychic fair in my hometown. It was sponsored by a friend of mine and I wanted to go, in part, to support her. However, during the last six years of my life, I had become more curious about the continuity of spirit or consciousness after…

And sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself — I have come to understand that every death we experience, permanently alters the landscape of our lives. In the event of catastrophic loss, or loss that defies the natural order of the universe, not only is the outer landscape of our lives altered but our inner one as well. It…

The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers — Last week I walked into one of the rooms in my house and this above photo of my daughter Jeannine was hanging on the wall. I didn’t recall seeing that picture before, so I asked my wife Cheri, how it got there. She told me that she was going through…

We instinctively give and receive compassion — I woke up a few mornings ago and the first thing that came to mind was Ram Dass and Natural Compassion. I had some vague dreams the night before, so perhaps one of them triggered this thought. …

Sometimes we have to revisit our past, for others as well as ourselves — I have a 20-year-old homemade DVD that I have watched on one occasion. The DVD contained footage of my daughter Jeannine’s last 10 plus months on earth. Jeannine died on March 1, 2003, at the age of 18 of a rare and aggressive connective muscle tissue sarcoma. Watching these carefully…

But under what circumstances will we count the cost? — There is a memorable passage from a song by Rush titled Bravado: “We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost.” In their Roll The Bones Tourbook, Rush’s late, great drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart disclosed that this line is from a novel called The Tidewater Tales…