"I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying. You found it hard to sleep.
I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear,
"It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."
I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea,
You were thinking of the many times your hands reached down to me..."
- Author Unknown
The loss of a loved one or a pet can hit us hard. When you have spent many hours, days and years together sharing love and taking care of each other, the sudden loss can indeed leave a gaping void. It's also true that the more you love the more will you grieve. Therefore, everyone has to prepare himself/herself for the inevitable - at least in the mind.
Memorializing a loss can lead to healing. Often, in our quest to reach the blessed state of acceptance, we go through various methods of coping. Some of them are:
o Erecting a pet memorial marker.
o Placing a pet grave stone or rock cremation urn.
o Leaving aside an area of the garden or designing it to serve as a memorial garden sanctuary.
Memorial and grave markers serve as a permanent monument of love to your special someone. You can choose a pet grave marker from a variety of pre-designed markers to honor the passing of a beloved pet. Or you can custom-build a pet grave of your choice. Pet memorial stones can be made of marble, granite, metals or even wood. They can be big or small, freestanding or wall mounted. Some stones can be personalized and you can even add a short poem of your choice.
Some pet owners use rock cremation urns in their garden retreats. This is a relatively new concept but it opens up a whole new world of possibilities to the grieving person and the kind of experience he wants to create.
Once you receive the marker, where you choose to put it is equally important. While some people place their pet cremation urns or memorials on a mantle, end tables in a room, or in an indoor sanctuary, many people choose to keep their pet cremation urns in their specially design memorial garden or retreat.
Memorial gardens offer a sanctuary in more ways than one. A sanctuary, literally, means a place that offers relief, solace or freedom from grief and pain. Creating your own garden retreat allows you to customize a space that is truly full of meaning for you. Memorial sanctuaries are therapeutic places where you can just meditate, sit, think, remember or spend a few minutes to honor the memory of your dearly departed pet. To this effect, pet owners often try to make these gardens peaceful, colorful, quiet and lovely. Tall trees, green grass, flowing waters and garden flowers all form a significant part of your very own pet memorial garden. Pet grave markers or memorial stones are often nestled in a bed of flowers, placed at the base of a special tree or added to a rock garden.
English and Japanese garden themes are particularly well-suited for a memorial garden sanctuary because of the availability of benches and other restful places to sit and lose yourself. Sub-tropical gardens also offer you wide sweeping beds for placing the pet grave marker or stone. Rock gardens are ideal because the pet grave marker or stone is easily visible. The setting is rugged and comfortable.
Grieving is a process and while it is painful in itself, it can also heighten your sense of life. When facing complex emotions, it is always better to examine yourself and evaluate your own state of mind. Memorial gardens and sanctuaries are places where you can take your grief and quietly work through it. Ironically, we begin to appreciate life around us when we see it through a sheer film of tears.
