To Chai…
Our Beloved Bengal: There was a Season…And a time to every purpose Under Heaven…"
"A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing…"
Today, we let you Go Home.
And the guinea pigs…coming home from the hospital three of four were terminally ill: Peter-Peanut had pneumonia, bronchitis, droopy, red eyes, and congestive heart failure. Poppity-Squirrel had pneumonia and his lymph nodes so swollen the vet thinks he has lymphoma. Bhindi had pneumonia and droopy eyes. Only Vinny was well…but pneumonia so contagious we feared losing them all. An extraordinary "exotics" vet (who was so sure we would lose Peter-Peanut she asked if we wanted to "put him down" - mortifying me!)…we have been treating them with lots of medication, diligently administering it by wrapping them up in a
"Guinea Burrito" towel which I don't have a photo of. They get fresh wheat grass, take their meds, and are not out of the woods yet but they have become "Poppity" again and the vet was astonished how well Peter was doing - his coat all glossy - when she saw him Saturday!
"A time to be born and a time to die."
It feels like a slice of me just calved off like the glaciers are doing in the warmer waters of the Polar Ice caps, never to cleave to me again…all I knew was of no value. Only Love. Only the "uninhibited brain" willing to be vulnerable and reply to those who asked how we were: "We are suffering." We have been grieving.
"A time to tear down and a time to heal,"
This - this, then has been "A time to tear down" and we welcome it as Healing is sure to follow as the dawn is never far from Night's Darkness.
Today we let go of Chai. We do have faith that all the guinea pigs will heal. And so will we. But, that chunk from the Past that calved off in our grief has changed us, recreated the geography of our hearts, and we feel, as one of our favorite mystic poets, Jalaludden Rumi wrote:
"The wound is the place the Light enters."
So, in the Heart of Darkness, in the agony of our broken hearted wound, we await Light.
Chai…you were amazing. Oh God, you were so amazing!
"A time to be silent and a time to speak…"
Now, Boyo, we shall fall silent and speak no more.
~*~
{Special thanks to "our family" at the Phinney Ridge Animal Hospital for holding us so tenderly while Chai slipped away.}
Our Beloved Bengal: There was a Season…And a time to every purpose Under Heaven…"
"A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing…"
Today, we let you Go Home.
And the guinea pigs…coming home from the hospital three of four were terminally ill: Peter-Peanut had pneumonia, bronchitis, droopy, red eyes, and congestive heart failure. Poppity-Squirrel had pneumonia and his lymph nodes so swollen the vet thinks he has lymphoma. Bhindi had pneumonia and droopy eyes. Only Vinny was well…but pneumonia so contagious we feared losing them all. An extraordinary "exotics" vet (who was so sure we would lose Peter-Peanut she asked if we wanted to "put him down" - mortifying me!)…we have been treating them with lots of medication, diligently administering it by wrapping them up in a
"Guinea Burrito" towel which I don't have a photo of. They get fresh wheat grass, take their meds, and are not out of the woods yet but they have become "Poppity" again and the vet was astonished how well Peter was doing - his coat all glossy - when she saw him Saturday!
"A time to be born and a time to die."
It feels like a slice of me just calved off like the glaciers are doing in the warmer waters of the Polar Ice caps, never to cleave to me again…all I knew was of no value. Only Love. Only the "uninhibited brain" willing to be vulnerable and reply to those who asked how we were: "We are suffering." We have been grieving.
"A time to tear down and a time to heal,"
This - this, then has been "A time to tear down" and we welcome it as Healing is sure to follow as the dawn is never far from Night's Darkness.
Today we let go of Chai. We do have faith that all the guinea pigs will heal. And so will we. But, that chunk from the Past that calved off in our grief has changed us, recreated the geography of our hearts, and we feel, as one of our favorite mystic poets, Jalaludden Rumi wrote:
"The wound is the place the Light enters."
So, in the Heart of Darkness, in the agony of our broken hearted wound, we await Light.
Chai…you were amazing. Oh God, you were so amazing!
"A time to be silent and a time to speak…"
Now, Boyo, we shall fall silent and speak no more.
~*~
{Special thanks to "our family" at the Phinney Ridge Animal Hospital for holding us so tenderly while Chai slipped away.}
Sending you our heartfelt love and prayers in your time of grief over the loss of Chai, and in this time of concern and watchful waiting for the healing of all the guinea kids. We love you so much that it hurts.
ReplyDeleteAnn (DommyDomsMom), Dominic, and Camille
Thank you, Ann…and as you struggle with DommyDom's illness and Camille's aging we send you all our love and blessings right back…thank you for being here for us, for taking the piggies and me to the vet, for all of the support that has helped -
Deletethat has brought comfort. We wish it for you and yours, as well, Ann :)
So sorry for the loss of Chai. Thoughts and prayers for you and the piggies.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Ms. A, and thank you for the courage and willingness to reveal the vulnerability of life with your candid blogging about Michael's struggle to survive, I think - in a way - your son now belongs to all of us who have followed your own Journey and we feel that when your family sits down TOGETHER, EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU, ALL OF YOU, that a part of every one of us is going to also be at that table giving thanks that not one chair is empty! Happy Thanksgiving and thank you.
DeleteMy sincere condolences on the loss of your wild child. He can now run free of a harness. He now can reconnect with Panda Pig, Yummy and all the other piggies he never got to meet. Praying for you, piggies, Ms A's Michael, Sylvia's brother Fred, and remembering our lovely Giz who will be gone a year on Dec.9th. I pray you are truly on the mend.
ReplyDeleteOh God, Marifan, tears are welling up in my eyes…you are so right…you have NO idea what a gift you just bestowed with your comment for Chai had a terrifying grand mal seizure a while back, a brain tumor it was thought, and the medication they put him on robbed him - and us - of our "wild child" Marifan, he just stumbled about, it was heartbreaking! You just reminded me - you just gave him back to us - and that he can finally, at long last, O! if only you could see how he WOULD run, like a Cheetah on the Serengeti, when free of that harness, he flew, Marifan, and now he has brought wings to all the other piggies…we miss them so, all of them! And yes, what a MIRACLE that Michael will be sitting at his mom and dad's table, and Giz…How did you know…I have been thinking so much of her lately wondering why now you remind me this was when she and I last spoke, it was Thanksgiving…and I must ask Sylvia about Fred I have been so out of the loop…what was it Tiny Tim said in his prayer at Christmas? "God Bless us every one." Was that it? Well, Marifan, "God bless us every one!" Happy Thanksgiving and thank you...
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about Chai, & my heart goes out to you. Prayers, & healing energy for the pirate piggies to be healthy again.
ReplyDeleteCD3, so happy to hear from you…how are your girls?! Thank you from the bottom of ALL our hearts for your compassion, love, and caring, we miss you. ~ Please give the girls skritchy-scratches from the BoyZ 'n da PiggieHood, who ARE getting stronger day by day, we have every reason to hope all will survive and we shall once again thrive. Love you:)
ReplyDeleteMy girls are sassy as ever, & Millie is still learning from Joy how to be a piggie. The pirates are in my heart & prayers. I am so lucky to learn so much about my girls care from you. Joy giggles all the time, & is sooo fat, & cuddly. Millie is still tiny, but eats like a .....well pig. hahaha Love to you all.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, you, Millie and Joy mean the world to us. Your comment brings us much consolation. I wanted to let you know there is a new type of hay made by Oxbow our vet is having us add to the Guinea Burrito Treat Fest called "Harvest Stacks" (perhaps I can send a picture) and the girls might have quite a time with their own! We are still hoping for a complete recovery although the vet wants to biopsy Squirrel for cancer and I simply won't let her, don't want to know, would never put him through chemo...and they're not out of the woods yet but thoughts of "the Girls" still bring those boys a smile so will remind them of Millie and Joy and give them a reason to live: LOVE!
DeleteDear Chana,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about Chai...yet we have to remember...he had a wonderful life with lots of love...and he will never be forgotten. I pray that your piggies will recover, I know your care and love for them will make them well. Take care and know that you and yours are in my thoughts and prayers.
Lucy (silent MOD Troy, Ohio)
Dear Lucy, you have never been a silent MOD to us! Thank you for your kind words...this week Chai's loss really hit, it comes in waves, but I dream of him running free on the Serengeti of the Rainbow Bridge with all the piggies flying along next to him...he had such an amazing life! While we still lived at the Wildlife Refuge (just before Molly came into our lives because we moved into town so she and her brood and MODS kept us "in nature") but Chai would go out twice daily in his jaunty harness and there were two does with fawns who came to meet him at dusk our last summer there...he would roll around in the grass while the spotted, wobbly-kneed fawns tentatively approached and sniff him and they played and they played in the setting sun together...and he comforted the herd when any of them were sick and PandaPig also comforted him during one of his WAY more than 9 lives and we miss them all and are hoping for the best outcome here...with the Pigs in their Burrito outfits for medicating! Lucy, you have been here every step of the way...you will never be silent to US. We love you and thank you more than words can say, and wish you Happy Holidays, love
Deleteall of us (((HUG)))
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