Funeral

Yesterday we had the funeral for Essie. I love that my parents do this. It gives the grandkids a closure and a chance to share memories.

We usually start the funeral by each of us sharing our favorite memory of the animal. We then look at pictures or watch any videos of the pet.

My parents cremate their pets. We proceed outside and place the urn in a grave that my dad has already dug. The kids each take a handful of dirt and place it inside the grave.

We then release balloons to send to heaven while we say good-bye.

It is still hard to believe that she died so young and so quickly.

Joshua has had a lot of questions: Why does God take a dog so young? Why didn't we get to say good-bye?

Delaney says, "I miss Essie".

My parents are now considering maybe getting another dog. They had said initially that they would not. Pets have always been in their lives and they love the companionship. Losing two dogs in one year is pretty rough.