Lessons To Be Learned

On July 24, 2024, Marilyn and I lost our beloved dog, Abby, a chocolate labrador retriever, after her eighteen-months courageous but ultimately unsuccessful battle with diabetes and recurrent seizures. She was the most friendly but at the same time the most tranquil dog that we have ever encountered. We are both devastated by our loss. You may ask, why we would use Linked In to communicate this news to our readers. Well, there are lessons to be learned from this experience. We humans can learn from our pets who are always there, through hard times as well as the good times. And death, including the death of a marriage or family relationship should not obscure the good times that were shared in the past. As we all proceed forward with our personal grief, be it the death of a pet or of an inter-personal relationship, we would do well to act, like Abby did, with courage as we face an uncertain future. Persons whose relationships break down should accept the legal and moral responsibilities that ensue from the breakdown. These include the need to treat all family members as well as our pets fairly rather than engage in a battle ground of ongoing conflict. Thank you, Abby, for reminding us of this and for bringing pleasure to the lives of Marilyn and myself over the past nine years.

Julien