Grieving the loss of a pet is an emotional journey that touches the deepest parts of our hearts. Pets become family, offering unconditional love, companionship, and joy throughout their lives. When they pass, the sense of loss can be profound, leaving us with memories that feel both precious and painful.
At Life of Kai, we understand this grief all too well. Last December, we mourned the passing of Sprinter, one of our cherished mascots. More recently, our close friend, a dedicated coyote naturalist, grieved the tragic loss of her son's girlfriend's pet, struck by a car. Just a week ago, we said goodbye to Jack, a faithful visitor who came to the library every day with his mom since its opening. These losses have touched our community deeply, but rather than focus on the sorrow, we choose to celebrate the time we were blessed to share with them.
Life of Kai is planning a special memory spot near our library to honor our beloved pets. As a first step in this celebration, we are hosting a rock painting event on October 27th, which coincides with Día de los Muertos for Pets. Often misunderstood as a Mexican version of Halloween, this sacred tradition celebrates the opening of Heaven’s Gate and the Rainbow Bridge, allowing us to reconnect with our beloved pets who have passed. In celebrating Dia de los Muertos for pets, we will also create a community pet ofrenda, an altar for offerings decorated with candles, marigolds, photos of our pets, and the newly painted memorial rocks. This ofrenda will provide space for the community to come together, share memories, and celebrate the lives of our furry friends.
We invite everyone to join us in this celebration of life, love, and remembrance as we honor the cherished time we had with our pets. Through this shared experience, we can turn our grief into a meaningful tribute, ensuring that the memory of our pets continues to bring joy and comfort to our hearts.
Here is a blog on grieving from Eileenanddogs. Eileen is a thoughtful and eloquent writer on all subjects involving dogs. We learn a lot from her writings.
A pet ofrenda
If you are interested in joining us for this activity which is capped at 30 participants, please RSVP through our Facebook event at this link . If you can’t do the activity, you can still celebrate by sharing a photo of your beloved pets at the “Ofrenda.
Forever in Our Hearts
To join this fun and free event, please sign up through our Facebook group or on Eventbrite. This helps us ensure we have enough materials for everyone. We plan to have a table near the library for this event.
The Memorial Spot is now located next to our library. It is filled with rocks that carry memories, love, joy, comfort, and grief. We want it to be a place where people can visit their beloved pets as often as they wish.
