Typical of my work, I found myself on a plane yet again, on my way to Scottsdale, Arizona, to address a group of funeral professionals on the topic of pet loss services. Such an honor to share my story and passion with others!
As I sat down, as I’ve done countless times, I struck up a conversation with my seatmate. As there were a couple of dogs on the plane that I had made over as they made their way onto the aircraft, it was clear that I was a dog lover. My seatmate noticed that and admitted that he, too, was an animal lover. By then, I knew his name was Ross and that he was headed to Scottsdale as well for work.
As our conversation proceeded, he asked if I had pets. I beamed as I shared photos of my precious little fur-kids. Then I asked him if he did. He said he had but his beloved lab, Ebony, had died almost 4 years ago. I knew that he lived in my city so I told him what I did and that I too had lost a beloved almost 8 years ago. Then I asked him who had helped him with the loss of Ebony. Interestingly enough, it was my little pet funeral home. And, he remembered it was Jessica who’d been there when he brought Ebony to us.
By this point, he’d turned his head and began to talk to the back of the seat in front of him. While it was in a manner of relaying his story to me it was also in a manner of giving him a chance to remember. He remembered what my pet funeral home looked like. He remembered the casket Jessica helped him get Ebony in to. He recalled how he has the urn and her paw print and fur clipping in his office, where he can talk to her still.
He especially remembered the room where he got to spend some time with Ebony. His final time with her, this girl that he’d brought home 17 years ago, as a fresh little puppy. His first born. His love. He recalled to me how grateful he was for that experience of spending a few minutes with her, just the two of them, as he’d given everyone else their time at home. This was his time to say I love you. His time to say how much he’d miss her. His time to tell her that she truly was “the best dog ever.” By now, the tears were showing as he was taken back to this time, almost four years ago, but yet it seemed like yesterday.
As we landed in Scottsdale, we disembarked. He gave me a hug and said “Thank you for starting that business.”
Yes, it’s an honor to share my story and my passion. However, the biggest honor is to hear these stories.
Rest in peace, Ebony. Rest in peace.
