Ahhhh…
(a photo taken a few years ago)
sweet, sleepy, snugly Denali
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….a bit of comfort…
“shhhhhhhhhhh… with time, it will be okay….”
thank goodness for the love, kindness, support and reassurance of old friends…
(photo from slipper box ….Old Friend Shoes)
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Ahhhhhh……
sweet, sweet Denali…..
We had a truly wonderful dog…Nali….as sweet, kind, loving and wonderful a dog as anyone could ever hope to have…her name was “Denali,” named after Mt. Denali in Alaska. We usually called her Nali.
Very, very sadly, Nali died yesterday, Sunday afternoon, from lung complications after 2 operations to remove the metal brush bristles she had chewed on this past Monday night. We were with her …. petting and hugging her….offering her love, reassurance and comfort as she passed.
I had posted last week, in a post I called …. “Guess how much we love you” …. about the potential dangers of dogs chewing on metal barbeque grill cleaning brushes…it never crossed my mind, when I created those pages and post, that she would die from complications…. I thought it was just another piece of stuff that would pass through her system.
Peter, Julie and I are deeply saddened, stunned and shocked…. Nali has been such a lovely, loving, gentle and precious part of our lives for the past 11 years.
Our daughter Julie picked Nali out of the litter of pups…what a wonderful choice she made.
Peter, Julie and I loved Nali so much….she was perfectly suited to our quiet, loving, low key family. Friends loved her too… Nali’s dear friend Ven. Jampa Choepal…Lynda, Paul and Katie…. Cindy and Jim…Sheryl and Gil… Tina and Suzie… and many more….she was dearly loved…deeply cherished…and brought so much love to all of us around her.
Last week, I posted some “Denali cards” that I had made for the kids in my classroom… they loved and were inspired by these cards… and the advice continues to be as good for me as it was for “the kids”… what a sweet dog, to put up with those poses…those cards offered the kids such courage and inspiration to just keep trying…and to realize how very, very special they were, too. What a lovely “teacher” she was….
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Some previous posts about Denali’s loving nature…
loving and lovely lessons she has taught our family…
“Guess how much we love you…keeping our pets safe, healthy and happy”
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“I love my people sooooo much… different ways of giving and receiving love”
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Through the past week, I’ve created several “work my way through this challenge” posts, as we were trying to work our way through and find solutions to the completely unanticipated and unexpected surgery complications Nali was having…. difficult “lessons” that I was, and continue to be, in the midst of learning…
This past Saturday: “Life changes…so appreciate and share what we have…make the most of this moment right now” We didn’t realize how quickly it was going to change…we were completely caught “off guard”….thankfully, we did live with love and appreciation of her each and every day…in the many moments of “now”…
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This past Friday: “To develop an appreciation of this wonderful life we have right now…with warmth, love and appreciation” Some inspirational advice I had received a few years ago…to try to see the positives, to see how many wonderful people were trying to help her…. to learn our lessons as we went along….to use our new understandings and awarnesses to help others in whatever ways we can…
Sunday, yesterday: “Shantideva’s Prayer…may all beings feel loved and cared for” …the wish to take what we are learning and help others as we go…we’re all in this together…to comfort and support each other… and to nurture happiness and joy…
The page, below, that I created on Sunday morning, as we got a phone call from UCDavis that Nali’s condition was getting more serious….an excerpt from Shantideva’s Prayer
I was sending her my wishes that she would feel….. loved, nurtured and cherished; steady and resilient; protected, cared for and watched over; comfortable and at ease….to feel those qualities until we could get there by her side…
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Denali loved me to sing directly to her….
One of her favorite songs…
one she loved to hear me sing especially to her…
“It’s a joy to get to know you” …
I would sing this song to her with such deep appreciation and sincerity…
it was…and still is… so true…
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youtube of this lovely song….”it’s a joy to get to know you”…. thank you Nali
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Another lovely song…
for our dear, dear Nali…
and for Peter and Julie and others who have dearly loved Nali ….
“we are sending you light,
to heal you, to hold you,
we are sending you light,
to hold you in love”
(Betsy Rose Music)
click on the link to hear the beautiful, short, accompanying song clip, “We are Sending You Light, To Heal You, To Hold You” , sung by Betsy Rose, and written by Melanie Demoore. Download for mp3 file of song
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ohhhhhh….
sweet, sweet Denali…
we weren’t ready for this, but perhaps we never would have been?
Is anyone ever ready for such things?
thank you Sweet Denali for joining us in our lives,
it truly was such a joy to get to know you and to share in your happy life…
sweet, sweet Denali,
good bye, Darlin’…until we meet again…our love travels with you…
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Pocket Perspectives 
My heart breaks for you. Losing a pet is losing a family member. But how lucky we are to have had them share our lives at all. We are all blessed by our dogs/pets. Big hugs to you and your family.
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thank you so much…we really do feel so blessed to have had Nali in our lives…thank you…
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I took a deep breath after finishing reading your touching and beautiful tribute. It warms my heart that Nali was blessed to be with you and your family. I too thought she was going to get better.
My condolences to you, Peter and Julie and all who loved her. I am going to email my sister and share your story because she has two dogs now, one is a puppy, and with the coming Fourth of July and outside cooking the need to be alert increases.
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thank you, Marie….we’re surprised too…they kept thinking she might be okay, but it was just too much for her body. We feel so blessed that she came into our lives.
Please, please do forward this to others who might have puppies or dogs…we heard that other dogs do this, too…with brushes, steel wool etc. The brush was up on the barbeque shelf, but somehow got knocked down onto the ground… Yes, for others to be alert…thanks for passing the warning along.
thank you so much for your kind thoughts… kathy
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Dear Kathy,
I wept all the way through this tribute to Nali. I too have been blessed by my relationships with wonderful companions out family members. Thank you so much for sharing your tribute with us and Shania Noll’s song which I also sing to my 3 little rescued dogs. When my two dogs passed on in 2009 I received an ecard from a dear friend that I would like to share with you.
The prints they leave while on this earth will fade with time,
But the prints they leave in our hearts will last forever.
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TT, thank you, for sharing in the warmth of my thoughts about Nali.and for sharing your own tender and loving thoughts about your pets. And oh…what a nice thought to think of your dogs also enjoying that lovely little song… brings a gentle little smile to my face to think of your 3 little dogs listening to you sing to them. Thank you for sharing the lovely sentiment in that ecard… Nali’s warmth, gentleness and love are definitely imprinted in our hearts. thank you so much…
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Kathy, You have put together a wonderful memorial for a wonderful creature.
Love, Jim
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thank you, Jim…she was so dear to our hearts…she was sweet and wonderful, wasn’t she? Maybe she’ll drift along to the green hills of Ireland with all of us next week????
(link to the Irish Blessing…. https://pocketperspectives.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/may-the-wind-be-always-at-your-back-may-the-sun-shine-warm-upon-your-face/ )
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Tears for all the joy she shared with you. Tears for her passing. Joy she brought with her, and joy remains with you. She will continue to be a presence in your lives and in your home. That’s just the way it works! Sometime i will tell you about our Tawney and the Blue Heron that visited when she left us. But for now, hold each other close and tenderly.
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thank you Joss, for your words of comfort and wisdom….and for your encouragement to continue to connect with the joys Nali brought into our home.Yesterday and today, we’ve mostly felt shocked and deep sadness… with occasional glimmers of the joys. We are holding each other very closely and tenderly, nurturing and supporting each other. We hadn’t expected to have such strong reactions…but I guess Nali had a powerful impact on us…in a wonderfully positive manner….plus the unexpectedness of it and the few unusual circumstances.
Joss, oddly enough, Sunday morning there were 4 very active, seemingly aggressive, crows together, which we’ve never seen… stirring up a huge ruckus in the birch tree in front of where I sit at the computer…(where I saw the hawk on the fence…before Jampa arrived last year) and scaring little birds away. It was very odd. Out of curiosity, I looked up crow symbolism and see that in Tibetan Buddhism they are considered to be protective symbols tied in with many of The DalaiLama’s, including the current one… now that’s interesting. I’ll hope for and look forward to more peaceful and soothing arrivals in the days to come…
thank you again for your encouraging words….
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Crows are also known as shapeshifters! Nail was a huge part of your lives, of your family, and will live on in memories and stories. For a little while you will hear her in the house and she will continue to come vist you in dreams as a beloved member of your tribe.
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Oh Joss, I’ll look forward to that… : ) …a beloved member of my tribe… : )
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Joss, I haven’t seen/visited with Nali in my own dreams yet, but a friend did… in that dream, she looked beautiful and fluffy and was beside and with a deeply loving and compassionate being… isn’t that lovely?
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Joss, I haven’t seen/visited with Nali in my own dreams yet, but a friend did… in the dream, she looked beautiful and fluffy and was beside and with a deeply loving and compassionate being… isn’t that lovely?
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Oh how precious.
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Ohhh how my heart aches for each of you … I am so sorry. The joy our animal companions bring us through their time with us is immeasurable. xo
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This is a beautiful tribute to your Nali. May the presence of her sweet spirit comfort each of you. May the memories and the love she shared with you be a soothing balm.
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thank you Becca….she brought much joy and happiness into our lives. We are grateful to have shared in her life. My goodness, what a week it has been… a soothing balm will be welcome.
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I am sitting here reading with the tears pouring down my face. Oh how very hard it is when a loved pet passes on. Lotte, my Tibetan Spaniel was put to sleep in February after suffering a massive heart attack. What a brave little thing she was and like your Nali an inspiration and a joy to all who came into contact with her.
My thoughts are with you and the family as you go through these next ghastly days. But please remember all the great times you had with that pooch, how she made your days brighter and your heart lighter. Judith 🙂
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Thank you for your kind and encouraging words, Judith. I thought of you as we were going through this. I remembered your posts about the sad loss of your Lotte this past winter. What brave, loving and loyal friends we had in Lotte and Nali. I’m starting to think happier thoughts and memories, now that the sadness is lifting more often. thank you again… kathy
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