During the past year, I have grieved for three separate losses. My grandfather passed away at age eighty-five, and seemed to have left peacefully and on his own terms, grateful to have lived for so long. My cousin Quentin, who I didn’t know very well, but now miss his presence when we play card games together at family reunions, died a few days after his eighteenth birthday from an overdose. While these deaths have affected my extended family greatly, I have been dealing with a loss that most of them do not know about. Even though it may seem selfish, no death affected me more than the death of my beloved cat, Ashley.
Some people may wonder how the death of an animal could possibly be more painful than the death of a human being. Some may question …show more content…
The vet first gave her a sedative to relax her, and then she was placed into my arms. My entire body shook as I held her, and even though there were four other people in the room, I was sobbing without restraint. She was then laid onto the table so the vet could administer the second shot that would lead to her death, and I was able to pet her and watch as she took her last breath. Even as my mind was in turmoil, I knew she would now be in peace. Every day, I think about those sacrifices I made for Ashley, and how they were worth it, but more importantly, I think about the utter strength she had every day to still shower me with affection even when she was too weak to stand up on her own. In her essay, “On Being a Cripple,” author Nancy Mairs describes the time one of her students reacted to the knowledge that she can paint her own fingernails despite having multiple sclerosis, “she told me, that if I could go to such trouble over fine details, she could keep on writing essays” (50). Similar to Mairs, Ashley was able to live through a hardship and still have her personality and strength. The day after Ashley was cremated, I talked to my mother about my plan for college. That pure strength Ashley possessed gave me the motivation to make my life the best it can be, and to make my education worth my
Some people may wonder how the death of an animal could possibly be more painful than the death of a human being. Some may question …show more content…
The vet first gave her a sedative to relax her, and then she was placed into my arms. My entire body shook as I held her, and even though there were four other people in the room, I was sobbing without restraint. She was then laid onto the table so the vet could administer the second shot that would lead to her death, and I was able to pet her and watch as she took her last breath. Even as my mind was in turmoil, I knew she would now be in peace. Every day, I think about those sacrifices I made for Ashley, and how they were worth it, but more importantly, I think about the utter strength she had every day to still shower me with affection even when she was too weak to stand up on her own. In her essay, “On Being a Cripple,” author Nancy Mairs describes the time one of her students reacted to the knowledge that she can paint her own fingernails despite having multiple sclerosis, “she told me, that if I could go to such trouble over fine details, she could keep on writing essays” (50). Similar to Mairs, Ashley was able to live through a hardship and still have her personality and strength. The day after Ashley was cremated, I talked to my mother about my plan for college. That pure strength Ashley possessed gave me the motivation to make my life the best it can be, and to make my education worth my