Voices of Experience: 7 Things Chipper Taught Me About Life and Business

A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. ~ John Grogan, Marley and Me

Tom Simon is an entrepreneur who lives in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Like so many of us who give our hearts to a dog to love, he did not realize all that his companion had taught him until after he was gone. Here Tom shares some of the valuable lessons about life and business that he learned from Chipper, his beloved Golden Retriever.

We dug his grave on Tuesday in a spot close to the lake. On Wednesday I had my head on his chest to hear the final beat of his heart. Chipper was a large beautiful Golden Retriever, born about the time I started my business15 years ago. I fully expected the tears would flow as we buried him. What I did not expect was the realization that night how important waking up to him was to me. I must admit I had the most empty, aching feeling that something so essential to my life has ended.

After a day of thinking about him, and how he affected my life, I came to understand that through the years Chipper was the one constant in my day to day struggles every entrepreneur knows well. I began to understand what he taught me about life and business.

Caregiving and Hospice, December 21 - December 27, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Working With End of Life Requires Self Care, http://j.mp/1E4uAyV « Barbara Karnes Books, Inc.

Terrific piece! 'Hospice? I’m way better than that': The human touch of palliative care, http://j.mp/1GOZtFs « Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When discussing cancer treatment, the approach matters, http://j.mp/1AM0Sci « Kevin MD

Understanding and Managing Grief, December 21 - December 27, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Feeling Profound Loss After a Death Means the Person Had a Profound Impact, http://j.mp/16T4vEn  « Maria Shriver

Beautiful! Winter's Light, http://j.mp/1x5OW5R « Widower's Grief

On coping with holidays in grief: The Art of Regrouping, http://j.mp/1zhLqSR « What's Your Grief?

Coping with Pet Loss, December 21 - December 27, 2014

Best selection from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Pet hospice, a new aspect of veterinary medicine, helps loved ones on final journey http://j.mp/1t5ru3w « TribLive

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.
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My Wishes For You This Christmas

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. ~ Calvin Coolidge

My wishes for all of you this Christmas, and throughout the coming year:

May you feel gratitude for the blessing that you have shared part of your life with your loved one.

May you be embraced by the invisible presence of your beloved.

May you give to yourself the same measure of love you have given to your beloved.

May you be wrapped in the warmth of your precious memories.

May you feel joy each day, if only for a moment.

May you have hope that your life holds gifts yet to be discovered.

May you find all the support you need, and take comfort in knowing that you don’t walk this path alone.

May you have peace and love in your heart, as you honor the spirit of Christmas and try to keep it all year long.

May you continue to share the energy of your love with others.

Wherever you may be in your journey, know that I am thinking of you and sending my heartfelt wishes that your days are filled with peace, healing and love.

~ Marty Tousley ~

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.

If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here. 

Related Articles:

• Coping With The Holidays: Suggested Resources, 2016
• Coping With The Holidays: Suggested Resources, 2015
• Coping With The Holidays: Suggested Resources, 2014
• Coping With The Holidays: Suggested Resources, 2013
• Coping With The Holidays: Suggested Resources, 2012

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT, DCC

Caregiving and Hospice, December 14 - December 20, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Outstanding interview with author Stan Goldberg on his newest book, "I Have Cancer," aimed at caregivers http://j.mp/1sL1Kcs « YouTube

Midwives for the Dying, http://j.mp/JVeGfZ « The Atlantic

Palliative Care: It’s About Easing Suffering, http://j.mp/16zsuIz « U.S.News and World Report

Understanding and Managing Grief, December 14 - December 20, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

On stillbirth: Beyond Closure with Nancy Berns at TEDxDesMoines, http://j.mp/1zhyEZO  « YouTube

Parent Loss: Continuing Their Song, http://j.mp/Y5m9J4 « Grief Healing Blog

In Grief: Responding to "How Are You?" http://j.mp/HlUWks « Grief Healing Blog

When Words Matter: Tips On Writing A Condolence Letter

[Reviewed and updated December 5, 2024]

A letter of condolence provides the opportunity for a very special form of writer/reader inter-connection, one that proclaims simply, 'I acknowledge your loss, and, in some measure, I share your pain.' This is the essential human message in all letters of condolence. ~ Leonard M. Zunin, MD and Hilary Stanton Zunin

A reader writes: I would like to know if you could assist me in writing a letter of condolence.

My response: I think this is a very important question, and I commend you for asking it. With our busy lifestyles nowadays, electronic communication alternatives such as cell-phones, texting and email have made letter-writing seem like such a daunting task for so many of us, if not a forgotten art altogether. Yet in times of sorrow, few things are more appreciated than a handwritten note, which can be held and read by the recipient, then saved and re-read over and over again.

Caregiving and Hospice, December 7 - December 13, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Facts About Senior Care Costs, http://j.mp/1zjE97P « Caring.com

Conscious Living and Dying: What Really Matters ~ Presentation by Karen Wyatt, MD, http://j.mp/16juDrN « SlideShare

How to Be A Good Friend to Someone With Cancer, http://j.mp/1DchqQ3 « What Next

Understanding and Managing Grief, December 7 - December 13, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Grief Healing: Resources for Young Widow(er)s http://j.mp/1nQhHP0 « Grief Healing Blog

Helping Another in Grief, by Grief Counselor Marty Tousley, http://j.mp/1zjbhwj « Healing eBooks

Finding Christmas and Peace after the Death of a Child, http://j.mp/1zKF5Dk « Open to Hope

Coping with Pet Loss, December 7 - December 13, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Pope Francis Says There’s a Place for Pets in Paradise, http://j.mp/1wME1zR « TIME

Beautiful! On Losing a Dog,  http://j.mp/1Ghfdz2 « Marking Our Territory

"This Sweet Man Just Lost His Beloved Dog. What He Wrote Afterwards Completely Destroyed Me," http://j.mp/1AfGAr0 « Reshareworthy

Pet Loss: Cat With FIV Euthanized Too Soon ~ Guilt Follows

Photo © Tony Northrup 2014

[Reviewed and updated October 28, 2019]

Only good people feel guilty.  ~ Rule 56, The Rules of Life by Richard Templar

A reader writes: For the last several months, I have been feeding a stray cat who started living in my yard. Since I already have two cats, I decided I’d try to find him a home, but if I couldn’t, I would take him as well. I bought an insulated kitty house and pet bed, and put out food for him in the yard every night. For the last few weeks, after work I would go straight to the yard and pet and play with him. He was very sweet and I got very attached to him. My friend said he would try to take him in, and we agreed that if it didn’t work out (he has one other cat) I would take him myself. As I drove the cat over to my friend’s house last night, he was crying and scared, but I kept reassuring him, "Don't be afraid buddy, I'm taking you to your wonderful, loving, warm new forever home." My friend called me this morning, crying hysterically and saying he’d just had the cat put to sleep.

Caregiving and Hospice, November 30 - December 6, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Doctors Tell All—and It’s Bad, http://j.mp/1rYEgWB « The Atlantic

As Palliative Care’s Importance Grows, UCSF Nursing Expands Training, http://j.mp/1z5zkQj « UCSF

A New Way to Love: Spouses Become Caregivers as Alzheimer's Progresses, http://j.mp/1yUwaxQ « Deseret News

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 30 - December 6, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Getting Through What You Can't Get Over, http://j.mp/129Op6C « Ezine Articles

My Mother's Appetite, http://j.mp/1vqa0yz « The Manifest-Station

Lou LaGrand: Developing a Routine for Refocusing Attention When Mourning, http://j.mp/12s9xEV « Ezine Articles

Coping with Pet Loss, November 30 - December 6, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Mourning a pet isn’t what it used to be, http://j.mp/1z3cUz4 « The Boston Globe

Goodbye, Bear, http://j.mp/1pICpUr « Huff Post Green

Delayed Grief Goes Unresolved, Negatively Impacts Marriage

[Reviewed and updated May 31, 2022]

We can endure much more than we think we can; all human experience testifies to that. All we need to do is learn not to be afraid of pain. Grit your teeth and let it hurt. Don't deny it, don't be overwhelmed by it. It will not last forever. One day, the pain will be gone and you will still be there. ~ Harold Kushner

A reader writes: I lost my father in 2002. It was an unexpected death. I mourned some at the time, but mostly I pushed it down - diving into whatever distractions possible...my mom, details, arrangements, whatever I could. He was my rock and main branch of support in a lot of ways....we were always very close.