Bassetluv
Well-Known Member
It's been 18 days since my beloved companion Raph left this world, his purpose here done and most likely, off to another. I had wanted to write a tribute to him, but each time I sat down to type the words, they failed to come. I simply couldn't think of anything to say that would honor such a courageous spirit, and I felt that anything I did write would be considerably less than he deserved.
So I thought instead, I would write a very brief description of my little guy. He was most certainly a charmer in every way, and given the chance he would probably have been a suave Don Juan with the ladies. He had a wisdom to him, a knowledge carried through from countless lifetimes, and a beautiful soul to match. He was my 'Buddha in a fur coat', as I once described him, and all it would take would be one look into those huge, soul-filled eyes to understand what I saw in him.
Raph - Raphael - was named after the archangel of healing. A few years previous I had been through a rather rough time myself - physically, mentally, spiritually - and I desperately needed someone to come into my life to help me with my struggles. Though I didn't understand it at the time, that's exactly what Raph did; he entered my life just when I needed him, and he became not only a healer, but a teacher...one of the best I've ever had. He taught me about wisdom, about accepting pain with enormous grace, about unconditional, unlimitless love, and ultimately, about letting go without blame, or anger, or fear. He also taught me that letting go certainly did not mean 'forever'; instead, it is a temporary separation, but only on the physical level. Raph has not left me, for I feel him with me every moment of the day, guiding me with his wisdom, comforting me with his memories, and embracing me with his love.
Every day I miss my boy terribly. And yet at the same time I know he is here, and he is encouraging me, telling me not to mourn his life, but to celebrate it eagerly...and to know that no matter what physical constraints there may be, he will never abandon me, nor I him. I think of the line from Shakespeare that says, "Parting is such sweet sorrow" and I now understand the depth of those words only too well.
So my tribute to Raph lies in the fact that he came to me, an unassuming teacher, cloaked in the disguise of a long-eared, clumsy, whimsical rabbit with the most soulful, intelligent eyes...and carrying inside of him the wisdom of the ages. He taught me the most valuable of all lessons I think I shall ever learn...that the gift of love is oftentimes painful, but it is always, always worth it. And in letting go of him in his physical passing, I learned to embrace him in spirit, and to acknowledge the fact that I was so extraordinarily blessed to have known him, and to have recognized what a magnificent spirit he possessed.
What a gift he gave to me. And I shall cherish it always.
I miss you, my boy...
Love,
'Mom'
So I thought instead, I would write a very brief description of my little guy. He was most certainly a charmer in every way, and given the chance he would probably have been a suave Don Juan with the ladies. He had a wisdom to him, a knowledge carried through from countless lifetimes, and a beautiful soul to match. He was my 'Buddha in a fur coat', as I once described him, and all it would take would be one look into those huge, soul-filled eyes to understand what I saw in him.
Raph - Raphael - was named after the archangel of healing. A few years previous I had been through a rather rough time myself - physically, mentally, spiritually - and I desperately needed someone to come into my life to help me with my struggles. Though I didn't understand it at the time, that's exactly what Raph did; he entered my life just when I needed him, and he became not only a healer, but a teacher...one of the best I've ever had. He taught me about wisdom, about accepting pain with enormous grace, about unconditional, unlimitless love, and ultimately, about letting go without blame, or anger, or fear. He also taught me that letting go certainly did not mean 'forever'; instead, it is a temporary separation, but only on the physical level. Raph has not left me, for I feel him with me every moment of the day, guiding me with his wisdom, comforting me with his memories, and embracing me with his love.
Every day I miss my boy terribly. And yet at the same time I know he is here, and he is encouraging me, telling me not to mourn his life, but to celebrate it eagerly...and to know that no matter what physical constraints there may be, he will never abandon me, nor I him. I think of the line from Shakespeare that says, "Parting is such sweet sorrow" and I now understand the depth of those words only too well.
So my tribute to Raph lies in the fact that he came to me, an unassuming teacher, cloaked in the disguise of a long-eared, clumsy, whimsical rabbit with the most soulful, intelligent eyes...and carrying inside of him the wisdom of the ages. He taught me the most valuable of all lessons I think I shall ever learn...that the gift of love is oftentimes painful, but it is always, always worth it. And in letting go of him in his physical passing, I learned to embrace him in spirit, and to acknowledge the fact that I was so extraordinarily blessed to have known him, and to have recognized what a magnificent spirit he possessed.
What a gift he gave to me. And I shall cherish it always.
I miss you, my boy...
Love,
'Mom'
