When you are grieving the loss of your beloved pet, the simple practice of gratitude can help you cope with and heal after your loss. I have personally found gratitude to be a very efficient and powerful practice, but somehow many of us tend to overlook it in its simplicity.
In the following I will share some insights from my spirit guide about the power of gratitude in coping with and healing the loss of an animal companion.
“Gratitude is a feeling you have in your heart when it opens and you view the world with love.
Gratitude is becoming present – in the body you have been given, accepting and acknowledging it – and in the world as well, watching all that goes on, but not taking it all upon you or identifying with it.
Gratitude is seeing the love that is behind or beyond it all; it is finding the light in each one you meet, whoever they may be. It is looking beyond the surface of things.
Gratitude is moving through the world, centered in your heart – approaching life and moving through life from the place of peace and stillness that you find in the space of the heart.
Whatever happens around you, you’ll always have a sanctuary in your heart.
That is important to remember when you have lost a beloved pet, for when your heart feels broken after your animal friend has passed, it is through the practice of gratitude you can mend your broken heart and re-discover the love and the light your animal friend left behind.
It it gratitude that acts as a bridge to your pet in the afterlife, for gratitude opens your heart to the love which connects you – beyond time and space.
That invisible bond you have is unbreakable. You may not see it in your grief, but again, gratitude can be the path back to the peace and to the knowledge that your beloved animal companion is with you in spirit – always accessible through your heart. Gratitude strengthens that bond.
Gratitude does not mean ignoring the pain; it means acknowledging what is but choosing to focus on gratitude.
Each day, find one thing you are grateful for. This simple practice can make a world of difference.
Gratitude can:
➡ gently move you through the grief after your loss;
➡ help you and your pet find peace as you say your goodbye before your animal friend’s passing;
➡ help you reconnect you with your pet in the beyond.
Take a moment each day to become fully present and find one thing you are grateful for. Don’t just say it, but feel it. Allow your heart to open and embrace the feeling of thankfulness.
If you want to take it a step further, then ask yourself: How can I show my appreciation to someone today?”
I thank my spirit guide for his wisdom and end the journey.With gratitude,
Marianne Soucy
If you like this blog, you may also like my book, “From Grief to Gratitude after Pet Loss: Healing Messages and Guidance from Pets in the Afterlife”, available on Amazon.
Such a beautiful piece. I am moved! You have such wisdom and grace offered here. Thank you! With the loss of many pets throughout the years it has been hard for my husband and I but love enriches and grows. Much love!
Such a beautiful and empowering post Marianne. Thank you so much for the reminder that being grounded in gratitude nurtures us during times of grief and connects us to the love that never leaves us even after our beloved pets are gone.
I love the picture of the golden retriever as it reminds me of my sweet Cammi who passed away a year and a half ago. I am forever grateful for the time we had together and yes gratitude helped me walk the path of my grief. xo
So many people who don’t have pets underestimate the impact of their loss. Thanks you.
I have seen three of my beloved cats make their transition and as painful as it was, my life would have been so much emptier without them for which I am eternally grateful.
Awesome book, Marianne. Going through it has helped me allow the continued healing of the loss of my darling Rosebud, who passed over 3 years ago. I really appreciate your work!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Reba. I’m so glad you have found comfort in my book. Blessings, Marianne
This really speaks to me, I’ve lost three of my beloved birds last year, and simply putting together a special photo album and feeling my gratitude for the time I’d spent with them, when I looked at the pictures, healed me a little.