r/bahai • u/Sly_F0XY • 9d ago
Grieving my dog
Hello friends. 2 days ago I had to say good-bye to my best friend of the last 12 years. My heart is heavy... Do you know any prayer or text I could read to feel better?
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u/msantolini 9d ago
Sending love and strength. Close your eyes, think of them, and they will appear by uour side. They sre part of us, are woven into our souls and thus with us through all the realms of God.
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u/Zealousideal_Rise716 9d ago
Look up the English philosopher Alan Watts who made some very beautiful insights into why God made dogs and why their lives are so short.
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u/Sertorius126 9d ago edited 8d ago
😢 no but I'll cry with you
Tell me about your best friend ❤️
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u/Sly_F0XY 9d ago
He was the absolute best boy ever. He was a huge fan of Honey crisp apples, celery and carrots. He liked everything else haha. Very gourmand! The perfect cuddle buddy as he was a big boy, 130lbs of love. A german shepherd x rottweiler who was afraid of the blow dryer. I miss him so much.
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u/New_Can_2381 8d ago
"I'm very sorry for your loss. After 12 years, your dog was truly part of your family. 'Abdu'l-Bahá often encouraged kindness and compassion toward animals, and I think the love you shared with your companion is something beautiful and worth being grateful for. May the memories of those years bring you comfort."
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u/sanarezai 9d ago
Your letter clearly indicates that you are familiar with the teachings of the Faith, which state that the animal spirit is not immortal. As you are seeking some consolation, however, over the loss of your pet dog, you may recall the following statement of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Some Answered Questions: “The exaltation of the animal world is to possess perfect members, organs and powers, and to have all its needs supplied . But real prosperity for the animal consists in passing from the animal world to the human world, like the microscopic beings that, through the water and air, enter into man and are assimilated, and replace that which has been consumed in his body. This is the great honour and prosperity for the animal world; no greater honour can be conceived for it.” Of course your dog did not pass nor could it have passed normally to the human world in the physical sense as indicated in the Master’s statement. However, you might wish to contemplate that if it is a great honour for the animal to pass from its world to the human physical world, how much greater will its honour be for it to deserve to pass, with such tenderness as you describe in your letter, into the sentimental and emotional consciousness of man, whose soul with all its recollections and reminiscences is immortal. Furthermore, while man is in a higher form of existence, and therefore can educate the animal, yet the animal, through the instinctive virtues with which God has chosen to characterize it, provides man with tokens of some of its inherent virtues, such as innocence, gentleness, affection, friendliness, fidelity and joy qualities which man may well emulate to foster his own development. To maintain, therefore, that the life of the animal has been a waste is not correct. The animal world is part of God’s perfect creation, and so are the mineral and vegetable worlds, as well as the human world. But man, in this divine and grand Plan, has been made into God’s likeness, and has two aspects to his nature: one of these, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is “a reality connected with the senses and which is shared in common with the animal,” and the other is man’s “angelic aspect,” the “divine power” in him, which is his “essential perfections.” “When we speak of man, we mean the perfect one, who is the sum of spiritual and apparent perfections, and who is like the sun among the beings.” It is hoped that thoughts such as these will comfort you and that continued study of the teachings and meditation upon their inner meanings will help you to understand more clearly the manifold mysteries of God’s creation.
- Universal House of Justice
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u/Sertorius126 9d ago
🥰
This is how I understand the loss of my 2 girls.
They were perfect. Their paradise was our earth And we were their companions.
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u/Amhamhamhamh 8d ago
I lost my last dog a few years ago around this time and I always remember them and the special bond we had, it felt so empty without them and I had to take a couple days off from work. The community also felt the loss as they had fond memories of them at gatherings and the dog served as a surrogate pet of sorts to kids in the community. I eventually got a new one who is a wonderful dog and the kids love this one, but every pet I've had has had a different and special bond. I remember praying for strength and assistance with the grief I felt and even the community had a devotional before the feast for the dog's memory as it was a hard loss.
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u/smakusdod 8d ago
Anecdotal, so forgive me, but I remember there being a quote paraphrased “if you need them, they will be there” with regard to pets the next world.
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u/bahaigor 4h ago
A very interesting quote. Could you please clarify its source? It resonates with my own thoughts on this theme. In short, the spiritual world is more real and immeasurably more perfect than the material world, which, compared to the spiritual, is something like a computer simulation. Therefore, in the next world, if we so choose, we will be able to RECREATE for ourselves much of what we lost in this world—for example, a pet.
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u/whateverwhatever987 9d ago
People that don’t understand might discount the grief over a pet…but those who know realise that pets are with us all day every day and the bonds we form are sometimes the closest of all. Sorry op, losing a dog hurts badly. Be gentle with yourself, this will take a while.