In our culture, we celebrate birthdays as a means of honoring life.

The days that beings leave their lives, is often remembered by those that love and miss them. Our culture doesn’t easily allow one to celebrate an end of life.

To celebrate a life on a death day seems grim and morbid. But what about when a being is suffering and death is a release?

My dog died a year ago and I still grieve for her. She had a tumor that I had only found out about a month earlier. It was really big and her health did not make her a good candidate for surgery. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it even if she had been a good candidate.

She was the friendliest dog I had ever lived with; she became immediate friends with everyone. My current dog and previous dogs I’ve lived with see repair people and delivery people as threats. Not Abby. She might bark hello, but her tail would be wagging as she waited to meet a person. She’d play ball with anyone who would throw it.

I want to celebrate her life. Make a new tradition. I’m just not sure how to celebrate.