Cascadian Nomads
  • Pet Adventure Blog
  • Cascadia- About Our Area
  • Nomads- About Us
    • Cascadian Nomads Advertising Opportunities
  • Humans
  • Canines
  • Psittacines
  • Felines
  • Contact

Are You And Your Pets Grateful? A Movie Moment Inspired #ShareGratitude Blog Hop Invitation

11/21/2014

7 Comments

 
A girl and her cat: Debbie and Betsy in 1976.Debbie was always a cat person; pictured with Betsy in 1976.
Typist: Bethany
Jason calls it "a movie moment." As in it is the kind of thing that could only happen in the movies. Jason phoned to tell me his sister, Debbie, had lost her battle with cancer and passed away. As soon as my call with him ended I began to dial my mom who's number appeared on my caller ID before I had finished dialing. I answered to hear her crying and I asked "you know? Who called you?" Her response was "you're crying? Who told you?" Well, my mom was crying because my grandfather had suffered a heart attack and was recovering in the hospital. I labeled this late September day "the worst day ever."
But two and a half weeks ago, when my grandfather died unexpectedly from another heart attack, I thought an even worst worse had been reached. My sister-in-law was buried exactly one month before. How bad can things get? Well, while setting up the church for my grandfather's funeral, I received word from my dad that my forty-five year old cousin had  mysteriously passed away. I completely broke down. If ever there was a last straw, this was surely it.

A man and his dog: Black lab Shadow & Grandpa on the Niagara River.
My grandfather and his last lab, Shadow, enjoying a sunny day on the Niagara River.
A girl and her dog: Siberian Husky Natasha & Bethany in 1987.My grandfather, my Natasha and me in 1987.
During my grandfather's funeral I had an epiphany: I am so lucky to have known and been so close to such an amazing man. Having a wonderful sister-in-law, even if it was for too short of a time, was a dream come true. My cousin knew how much I had always looked up to her and how much she meant to me. If I didn't have a big, loving family, I would never have to experience the pain of their deaths. And I wouldn't want that. I can endure the loss and be thankful for the wonderful memories.

Such an epiphany has come to me before. My
realization déjà vu was from January, 1989, the day my first husky Natasha died of a stroke. I never wanted to feel such painful loss again. As I walked the beautiful snowy day without my best friend of eight years, it occurred to me that all of the wonderful times we had shared were worth this time of heart ache. I was truly grateful for the friendship we shared. Plus, walking anywhere, especially in the snow, without a dog just felt wrong.
Jason would have called this "a movie moment" too. The kind of positive attitude about death I found that day is exactly what children are scripted to learn from living with, caring for and suffering through the loss of pets. Being grateful for what I have, things like photos, memories and a legacy of love and wisdom, is truly a moment straight out of a tear-jerker film.

Starting Monday, we Cascadian Nomads are going to spend the week sharing what we are most grateful for. We have joined with Oz The Terrier, Loved By A Collie & Kitty Cat Chronicles to invite you to join a Share Gratitude Blog Hop. Bloggers are welcome to link up one or more posts sharing thanks and appreciation all week long. Readers and followers are encouraged to share thankful stories and photos in blog comments or on social media. We encourage everyone to use the hashtag #ShareGratitude so we can all gain inspiration from each others gratefulness.
Share Gratitude Blog Hop Badge
Grab the badge and the Linky code below (when the Linky opens, please link directly to a Share Gratitude post and not your home/main/landing page. Thank you!)
Adding more than one post is encouraged; the more gratitude, the better.
Share this post:

Tweet

7 Comments
Kathy
11/22/2014 03:28:23 am

I am so sorry for these recent family tragedies, Bethany. My sympathies to you and yours. Thank you for sharing the gratitude that these losses has brought you and I look forward to joining you and your pets in giving more thanks this coming week.

Reply
Bethany
11/22/2014 03:31:03 am

Gratitude just isn't the same unless it is shared! Thank you for your comment and sympathy. I do indeed feel like a thankful Phoenix rising and I am very excited about this grateful week. I'm glad you'll be joining us!

Reply
Carrie Noar link
11/22/2014 10:34:44 am

What timing! It came to me this weekend that I want to have a week of gratitude on the blog this coming week. It's so easy to dwell on what we don't have, but thinking about what we do have just does something to our hearts. We'll be happy to join you!

And my deepest condolences on your losses. Knowing our loved ones led happy lives helps, but it doesn't make us miss them less.

Reply
Rebekah link
11/22/2014 10:49:25 am

I am so sorry for these tragic losses. Gratitude is truly a beautiful thing, and I try to be thankful each day.

Reply
noodle link
11/22/2014 11:34:27 am

We are sending you great big fuzzy Noodle hugs to make you feel better...

Noodle and crew

Reply
Jan K link
11/22/2014 08:58:21 pm

What a tough, tough time you have been having. Many people would be crippled by that much pain and loss, but you have found a way to turn it into something good. What a wonderful idea. I'm so sorry for your losses, but glad to see that you are carrying on and focusing on the good things in your life as much as you can.

Reply
Ruby link
11/30/2014 04:57:19 am

Many thanks for including us in your bloghop. We're grateful for folks like you who are willing to share their stories and spread their hope and our heart goes out to you for your loss.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Cascadian Nomads
    Pet Adventurers

    Cascadian Nomads adventurous dogs and parrot with pet and travel blogger, Bethany Clochard.
    Cascadian Nomads canines and psittacine on a road trip with blogger Bethany Clochard.
    Pet travel blogger Bethany Clochard shares a lifetime of budget travel experience, camping, and enjoying outdoors & Pacific NW adventures with pets. She currently hits the road with three dogs, a cockatoo & a cat.
    Related
    Instagram Follow on Instagram
    Picture


    Follow on Bloglovin
    follow us in feedly
    Picture

    Never miss a post! Have Cascadian Nomads Pet Adventure Blog delivered to your inbox:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


      Get our e-mail newsletter:

    Sign-Up

    Find anything on our site by searching here:
    Click any sidebar image to learn more!

    Cascadian Nomads only places ads for products we use, made by businesses we like. We highly recommend a click to
    visit our sponsors:
    (not affiliate links)
    WrapSit Quad Folding Chair Slipcover
    WrapSit is the ONLY slipcover crate for your folding quad chair. It makes taking pets and personal items outside or on a trip exponentially easier!


    Join us on the First Monday of Every Month!
    Positive Pet Training Week

    Positive Reinforcement Pet Training Week
    Hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Tenacious Little Terrier,
    Travels with Barley, and
    Wag n' Woof Pets.

    Picture
    Celebrate #MultiPetDay June 30th

    Categories

    All
    Adventures
    Amelia
    A To Z Challenge
    Awards
    Birds
    Black & White Photography
    Blog The Change For Animals
    Brychwyn
    Budget Travel
    Camping
    Cascadia
    Cats
    Celebrations
    Cockatoo
    Collie
    Corgi
    Cross Country Drive 2013
    Dachshund
    Dogs
    England & Wales 2014
    Fit Dog Friday
    Giveaway
    Holidays
    Humans Who Love Pets
    Huxley
    Leash-law
    Leo
    Multi Pet Life
    Peeks At The Past
    Pet Fitness
    Pet Health
    Pet Training
    Pet Travel
    Photography
    Planning Pet Adventures
    Positive Pet Training Week
    Product Review
    Road Trip
    Scoop That Poop
    Seattle
    Silliness
    Southwest-drive-2014
    Sponsored Post
    Urban Hikes
    Walk Your Dog Week
    What To Pack
    Wilhelm
    Woof-support
    Wordless Wednesday


    The Cascadian Nomads are:
    Cascadian Nomads Bethany with the dogs and Leo at Wilson's Arch, Moab, Utah
    Cascadian Nomads triton cockatoo Leo enjoys the sunshine in West Seattle, Washington, Cascadia
    Cascadian Nomads adventurous cat Amelia enjoying the view in West Seattle, Washington, Cascadia
    Cascadian Nomads black and tan dapple miniature dachshund
    Cascadian Nomads cardigan welsh corgi Brychwyn, Alpental, Washington, Cascadia
    Cascadian Nomads rough collie Huxley enjoying the green at Lopez Hill Park, Lopes Island, Washington, Cascadia
    Cascadian Nomads Jason with miniature dachshund Wilhelm snowshoeing Silver Fir Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, Cascadia
    Cascadian Nomads founding pets:
    Cascadian Nomads Founding Pets: Cockatiel Bobbie Birdie, cats Emily and Gryphon and dog Tynan.

    Features & Awards

    See products on this blog you like? Find all of our favorites on our Amazon Influencer page!
    Picture

    Bethany Clochard (@cascadiannomads) - influencer profile on Dealspotr
    dealspotr.com

    © Copyrighted Content
    Posts, words, photos or images from or featured on this blog may not be copied, reused or reproduced in any form without the prior express permission from the blog owner.

    The Doug

    The Fine Print
    For more on Cascadian Nomads privacy policy, advertising disclosure and responsibilities to our readers and visitors, click here.

Disclaimer
Cascadian Nomads are not veterinarians, behaviorists or animal trainers. Always consult with a veterinarian before starting or changing your pets exercise routine, before traveling with your pet, before changing your pets diet or before using any new pet products. Since all pets are unique individuals, consulting with a veterinarian, behaviorist or animal trainer about your pets specific needs is always recommended.
Disclosure
Every post  Cascadian Nomads publishes that is sponsored by a company or brand or obtained through an affiliation with a media network will contain a disclosure paragraph.  We do not use any affiliate links,  just regular links to a product or company website.  Cascadian Nomads only shares honest information that we feel is relevant to our readers whether a post is sponsored or not.
Privacy Policy
Cascadian Nomads does not share personal information with third-parties nor do we store information we collect about your visit to this blog for use other than to analyze content performance for marketing purposes. We do use cookies and add-ons, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser's settings or opt out of  add-ons. We are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.
Copyrighted Content
Posts, words, photos or images from or featured on this blog may not be copied, reused or reproduced in any form without the prior express permission from the blog owner.

©2013-25
BethanyGO Designs


Cascadian Nomads Pet Adventure Blog: Budget pet adventure inspiration through stunning photography and amusing dog, cat, cockatoo and human stories.