My Beloved Charlotte is Over the Rainbow Bridge💕

Hello Friend, in case you haven’t heard, I am sharing very sad news and to be honest, it’s very hard for me to even write.

My sweet girl, Charlotte is over the rainbow bridge.

Without a doubt, this has been the most painful experience of my life.   Many of you actually met her in person and many more grew to know (and love) her through the years through my shares on social media. THANK YOU to those of you who reached out and extended your support and well wishes.

If you are a dog-lover I know you understand my grief.  Truly, losing a pet, or any loved one, is one of the most painful and heart-breaking things we can go through as human beings. Yet of course, we all will go through this as some point.

That’s why I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts and reflections now that some time has passed, (about 3 weeks), and I’m not totally swept up in the wave of despair.  

You might have heard me refer to Charlotte as my “Heart With Fur On It” or my “Fury Little Budda” because not only was she my best friend and loyal companion, but she was also my biggest teacher. And I loved her more than anything in the world.

She taught me so, so many things…  

She taught me about being responsible for and aware of my energy (because dogs mirror our true emotional states – whether we like it or not!). She taught me about feelings, to stay IN my body more as opposed to being only in my head all the time and to listen to my natural needs and physical body requirements – like to rest when I’m tired, stop eating when I’m physically full, how to be actually emotionally and spiritually present and of course to remember to have fun and play on a regular basis.  

Having animals around helps keep us connected to the animal in us – to our primal nature, our instincts and our physical needs – something I think we all could use a little more of in our modern, fast-pace world.  

Many of you have mentioned to me that you won’t get another dog because it’s just too painful to loose them. And I get it. For me, although this is no doubt true, I still choose to sign up for it again and again because as the poet Kahlil Gibran says:  

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”  

…and the love shared between a human and a pet is truly unconditional, thus closer to the Creator/Unity/the All.  

I also wanted to draw your attention to podcast episode, #151, because on it I have a heart-felt and very raw conversation about death, reincarnation and dealing with the pain of losing a pet with world-renown animal communicator and spiritual teacher, Amelia Kinkade. Please have a listen or watch it on YouTube to learn more. I truly hope it helps bring you some perspective and peace should you ever go through this experience.   And of course I’d love to know.  

So my friend, I’ve learned connections are the source and joy of everything in life: the connection to ourselves, our pets, nature and other people. It is how we nurture these connections that can change the quality of our lives. In addition, our connections with nature, animals, and humans can help us heal and find comfort during difficult times.  

Charlotte was my number one companion for a very long time (14 and a half years!). She brought joy to my life and we took care of each other. Together we traveled the country, weathered storms, sickness, deaths and also shared many fun, beautiful and amazing moments together. Our favorite things to do where to be out in nature or spend time with friends and/or family (Charlotte LOVED parties!) In fact, my 10-year old niece, Jacqueline and Charlotte had a very sweet and special connection that was a gift to witness.

Despite all the pain I’m in now, reflecting on these things help me to feel tremendous gratitude for her life and our time together. This is why it feels important for me to express to you the importance of these connections, not only when we’re finding joy in them, but how they can help us in difficult times.  

4 Powerful Connections That Are Helping Me Heal:  

✨ Connecting with Animals: I actually almost lost Charlotte last August (on my Dad’s birthday, 8/15) but miraculously she pulled through! So soon after, I brought my little pup Nikko into the family as a way to bring some levity and joy into our lives. He proved to be an amazing addition for the both of us! He cuddled with Charlotte when they slept and kept her and me company. Now that it’s just the two of us, he is helping me find joy even when there is a huge void. No pet can replace another but they are all so special in their own way and I am grateful I have Nikko during this time. Plus I love that I see a little bit of her alive in him.  

✨ Connecting with Nature: You know one of my favorite things to do is to get outdoors and Charlotte loved it too. In fact we spent a lot of time together on walks taking healthy work breaks, sitting in the sun at the beach, enjoying a hot cup of tea on my back porch early in the morning and just simply appreciating the beauty of nature around us. I am positive it greatly impacted the quality of her life and it does mine too. In fact I often say being in nature is a requirement for feeling good and being at peace. And now as I am not feeling my best, I make sure to get outdoors and it’s and instant mood changer. When we’re feeling off, down or sad, a walk outdoors is the best kind of medicine. Mother Nature will heal you if you let her. Just feeling the air, appreciating the sounds and noticing and loving the animals, smells and LIFE has healing powers.  

✨ Connecting with People: During this time of grief, having the support from people I love and who love me has been incredibly helpful. It is important to not go alone through moments that feel hard even though, if you’re like me, we are inclined to retract and withdraw into ourselves. I urge you to reach out. Rely on those around you and communicate how you’re feeling. It’s good medicine to express your feelings AND to feel you are heard. I like to think that when we express ourselves to others we also start to process certain thoughts and feelings externally and we can find answers that sometimes are hard to find on your own.   And lastly…  

✨Connecting with the Self: I am doing my best to be patient with myself during this time. It doesn’t come naturally to me but I have learned with experience that it is important to feel the feelings and to find space to be on our own to really get in touch with what is it that we need to feel better. These answers can only be found within. And the rest…is time.   These have been some of the most difficult weeks of my life but I am focusing on the memories, the lessons and all the positive ways in which Charlotte impacted my life. Ultimately, I am grateful. It has been a time to really practice everything that I share each week on Awakening Aphrodite. The tools I have learned thankfully help me process this with a lot of awareness and comfort and I am sure that if you too are going through a difficult time you will find answers there too…not because I have all the answers, but because as I always share with you: The answers are always within 💫  

Lots of Love, Amy & Nikko💕