Good Grief

 

 

 

 

 

On November 20, 2012 our beagle Simon lost his battle with cancer. It seems that someone who is such an important part of our lives should have an obituary, so I’m writing one for Si.

Simon Pavka was born about ten years ago in an unknown place, at an unknown time. On a very snowy, bitterly cold New Year’s week-end 2003, he was abandoned by his mother and rescued by John and Nancy Gertig. He was adopted that same week-end by the Pavka Family: David, Jill, Peter, Ann Marie, Buddy – a beagle mix, and Homer – the cat. He was preceded in death by Buddy and Homer.

Simon was a spoiled, neurotic, funny dog who loved to eat and was always ready to go – anywhere! He traveled many miles in the truck and the motorhome. He also loved to ride on the boat at the lake.

He fought a valiant battle against his cancer and taught all of us many lessons – which we will continue to process for years to come.

Memorial donations can be made to Northside Veterinary Hospital’s food bank (OK –I’m just kidding, but don’t forget the animal food pantries during the holiday season!)

This is mostly for me – but, the loss of a pet is part of many of our lives. Right now the pain is so raw that it is sometimes hard to remember that I had almost 10 years of joy with Simon. The grief strikes at unexpected times, in unexpected places; it is worse first thing in the morning and at bedtime (Simon was the first one up the stairs when I said it was time to go to bed!)

But, the grief is good because it means I can still feel. And we know that we did everything that we could for Simon. We celebrated Thanksgiving with the family on Sunday, November 18, 2012 so he saw “his kids” and “his grandparents” and everyone had a chance to say good-bye. Our life will never be exactly the same, but we will move forward. We will always cherish the memories of the dog we loved.