Posts Tagged ‘Gail Pope’
Grateful for Animals: A Lesson on Living with Joy No Matter What
At BrightHaven, we are so grateful for animals! We feel forever appreciative for the love, comfort and lessons that they have given to us. And animals have certainly helped us strengthen our own spirituality and consciousness. We’ve found that being thankful is an important part of living well each day if one wishes to live…
Read MoreA Terminal Diagnosis for Your Beloved Pet & What You Can Expect
One of the most difficult situations a pet parent can face: Your cherished animal received a terminal diagnosis. What can you expect? What do you do now? How can you best support your loved one? What is the best way forward for our family? These are just a few of the many challenging questions that…
Read MoreIn Loving Memory of a Special, Sweet Dog, Andy
I’m honored to share BrightHaven President & Founder Gail Pope’s words, in loving memory of a special sweet dog and family member, Andy. Andy Comes Home “In October 2023 I was still reeling from the recent losses of my husband, Richard, and dogs Rosie and Ziggy. I missed dog energy in the home and…
Read MoreA Loving Farewell to a Cherished & Unique Feline Family Member, Purrci
BrightHaven President & Founder Gail Pope shares a heartfelt farewell to a cherished and unique feline family member, Purrci. “The 13th of July 2023 was a BrightHaven red letter day as it was the day that our dog Ziggy invited Purrci [Purr-see] to join our lives. A little overview may help set the stage. How…
Read MoreWhat Animals Want Us to Know: Death is Definitely Nothing to Fear
At BrightHaven, we feel privileged to have provided animal hospice care for and shared the dying experience with over 600 animals who taught us so much. And they showed us time and time again that death is definitely nothing to fear! How Animals Helped Us Release Our Fears About Death and Dying As you can…
Read MoreWhat We Learned from Animals About Living & Dying Well – Part 2 of 2
In Part 1, we explored living well through the last breath the BrightHaven way. Now let’s look at what animals taught us about dying well. And by the way, we’ve learned that quality of dying is as important as quality of living! We truly believe that embracing death as a natural part of life greatly…
Read MoreAnnouncing the BrightHaven Caregiver Academy – Perfect for Pet Parents!
We’re thrilled to share exciting news that marks a new chapter for BrightHaven, the BrightHaven Caregiver Academy! Here’s what BrightHaven President & Founder Gail Pope especially wants you to know about this amazing addition: “After years of dreaming and planning, we’ve launched BrightHaven Caregiver Academy (BCA), a resource dedicated to empowering pet parents with the…
Read MoreAnimal Reiki: A Vital Part of BrightHaven’s Animal Hospice Care – Part 2 of 2
Animal Reiki: A Vital Part of BrightHaven’s Animal Hospice Care – Part 1 of 2
BrightHaven’s approach to animal hospice care the BrightHaven way is all about living well through the last breath, regardless of circumstances. And that’s what Reiki is all about too! What is Animal Reiki? It’s essentially meditating with animals to share a peaceful, kindhearted space where connecting heart-to-heart promotes optimal balance of body, mind and spirit…
Read MoreUnconditional Acceptance & What Animals Teach Us: No Matter What, All is Well
Unconditional acceptance is an integral part of living well and fully through the last breath, although it’s certainly not always easy, particularly in challenging situations such as the looming loss of a loved one. And last but certainly not least, there’s a poetic inspiration about unconditional acceptance from a beautiful little dog named Cassie. What…
Read MoreEvery Day is the Perfect Day to Celebrate the Healing Power of Love!
Although February is often associated with romantic love, it’s the perfect time to celebrate all kinds, including the soul-FULL love and appreciation we share with our animal family. At BrightHaven, we believe that love is such an essential, transformative and powerful healing energy, it is the guiding force of our work. The importance of love…
Read MoreLessons from Our Animals: What Are 3 Uplifting Opportunities of Grief?
The word “opportunity” may not come to mind when you’re emotionally reeling from the loss of a loved one. But as with most of the events we face in life – even the painful, heartbreaking ones – grieving holds many possibilities to deepen our capacity to grow and to love. Life-changing lessons are often found…
Read MoreCelebrate the Tremendous Healing Power of Love Each & Every Day!
At BrightHaven, love has always been a guiding force behind everything we do, guiding our choices and our interactions with animals and people. The BrightHaven Menu for Healing, which forms the foundation of our work, is also known as the “Love Sandwich” as it begins and ends with love. The profound effects of love in…
Read MoreHow Can You Join Other Animal Lovers & Give Better Animal Hospice Care?
What unfailingly helps you to live well & fully each day?
The answer: LOVE!!! And as always, February has been the perfect month to celebrate love, with St. Valentine’s Day occurring on the 14th. At BrightHaven we celebrate and honor love in everything we do, every day of the year – its healing power is tremendous! For example, our Menu for Healing, which forms the foundation…
Read MoreHow Do I Navigate a Terminal Diagnosis for My Loved One?
As all of us animal lovers know, being told by the vet that our beloved’s illness is terminal is one of the most difficult things to hear. What do I do now? How can I best support my animal friend? What is the best way forward for our family? These are just a few of…
Read MoreA Beautiful Tribute to Rico, One Amazing Cat
We are honored to share the loving tribute to Rico written by longtime BrightHaven friend and supporter, Dr. Kathryn Marocchino of The Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets. Along with BrightHaven’s Gail Pope and Dr. Ella Bittel of Spirits in Transition, Kathryn co-created the Quality of Dying Checklist, which assesses quality of life as the hospice journey progresses…
Read MoreThe End of a BrightHaven Era: Fray
BrightHaven President and Founder Gail Pope shares her heartfelt tribute to Fray: “Somewhere around the beginning of 2003 we welcomed a new volunteer to the BrightHaven fold, Fray Huffman. After 17 years of devoted and unwavering service to the animals to whom she dedicated her life, I find it still hard to believe that…
Read MoreA Loving Tribute to a BrightHaven Legend
BrightHaven President and Founder Gail Pope pays loving tribute to Bailey, a larger-than-life being: “March 26 th at 730pm saw the ending of yet another BrightHaven era, with the death of our amazing super-dog-man and old soul, Bailey. I am not sure that I can do justice to this larger-than-life character and the depth of…
Read MoreWhat Really Matters Most Each & Every Day
I often feel uncomfortable when I hear that an animal or person has been given a specific number of days, weeks or years to live when they receive a terminal diagnosis. When it comes right down to it, who actually knows? None of us has an expiry date stamped in ink across our forehead! Of…
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