We’ve lost 6 animals in the last 3 years on our farm: five guanacos and one goat. Now, as a therapist, I’ve sat with so many dear clients in the grips of death and tragedy and the pain that floods in when we lose loved ones. And I’ve faced my fair share of grief personally. But when my goat Milo died, I was hit like a brick.  

You’d think that my familiarity with grief and loss would help me when Milo and our 5 guanacos died. But it didn’t. And after talking it through with Greg and some other special people, I’ve come to understand that this new loss experience was different than the others I’ve experienced in the past. It was different because it didn’t come with a ready-made ritual or a way to communicate what happened. There was no Shiva or Wake, or even a plan for what to do after we said ‘goodbye.’ There was no narrative or story to provide comfort. And I needed that. I needed a story and a ritual that soothed me. Because without that, I was just left with unresolved sadness and a nagging feeling of not knowing what to do if it happened again. Honestly, I was just ready to quit the whole thing because it was all too much.

So, I went on a mission to find the answer. To make a story. To create a ritual that provides comfort and solace. And I actually found one. 

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