Two Years Without Spencer

Y

marked two years since I said goodbye to my beloved Spencer.

Two years.

And while so much has changed since that heartbreaking day, there are moments when grief has a way of reminding us that love doesn't operate according to a calendar.

If you've lost a beloved pet, you may know exactly what I mean.

An anniversary can bring back memories you thought you had learned to carry. The last days. The decisions. The questions. The empty spaces in your home. The routines that suddenly disappeared. And sometimes even the guilt and "what ifs" we thought we had already worked through.

But yesterday, I was also reminded of something else:

God has been present through every single day of these two years.

He was present in the devastating beginning.

He was present in the questions.

He was present when I didn't understand.

And He is present now.

Psalm 34:18 tells us, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted."

That includes the heart broken over the loss of a beloved animal.

Your grief does not have to make sense to everyone else for it to matter to God.

The bond you shared mattered.

The love mattered.

And your grief matters too.

Spencer's life changed mine. His death changed me too.

And perhaps part of honoring that love is allowing God to use what we have walked through to bring comfort to someone else who is standing in a place we once stood.

If you're grieving the loss of a beloved pet today, I want you to know this:

You do not have to rush your grief.

You do not have to defend your grief.

And you do not have to walk through it without God.

There is still hope in the heartbreak.

There is still healing ahead.

And even here, God is still at work.

— Rachel Shirley Ordained Minister • Christian Pet Loss Grief Coach • Author of Pet Loss and Divine Healing