One Year After Losing a Pet

If you are going through an illness with a pet and nervous about the next steps and how you’ll cope, I’ve been there. 

I lost my sweet black Lab mix Colonel Mustard on May 30, 2024.  I had profound anxiety for a couple of years leading up to his death (he struggled with a weird health issue, then was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2023) because I didn’t fully understand whether I’d see him again.

I lost my father to a lung disease in November of 2019, but I knew I’d see him again because he was a believer.  But what about Colonel Mustard? 

I wrote all about the comfort God gave me as I put him down here.  To sum it up, ultimately when sin entered the human race, it affected animals too (I cite some great Bible verses in that post to back that up.)  The most comforting thing was remembering that God created him, so he loved him even more than I did. 

I’ve heard from so many wonderful people asking for prayer about their sweet pets and sharing pictures and stories about them. 

I’ve loved reading every single one and have prayed for you all.  I can only imagine the opportunities God has opened in your lives in the wake of grief (please let me know!)

That’s why I came back to write about this.  One of the things I’ve mentioned in response to these emails is the doors God has opened for me this past year.

Don’t get me wrong here - I would give anything to have Colonel Mustard back!  But since that’s not an option, I have been blessed with some amazing opportunities.  And I want to tell you about them so that you know there is a life for you even without the pet who has become a part of you.

Colonel Mustard passed just over two weeks before my birthday.  I thought this would completely overshadow the day, and I’d always have negative memories surrounding my birthday.  (FYI, it ended up being one of the loveliest birthdays of my life thanks to two dear friends from my church and my mom.)

But two weeks to the day after I lost him, I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep.  Obviously I went to my phone (worst idea, but we all do it), and as I was scrolling, I remembered that Icelandair now had direct flights from Pittsburgh to Reykjavik. 

I did a little research and ended up booking a flight for three days later to Iceland.  The next morning while having coffee with my mom, I told her I couldn’t sleep and asked what she thought I did. 

“Finished your book?”

“No, I booked a trip to Iceland.”

“What??”

(Now I will say that I have done a decent amount of travel in the past, but I limited any type of travel beyond work (because I do a lot of that) as the Colonel got older then got sick.  So this is something with which I’m comfortable.)

So on Sunday I had lunch with my mom after church then went back to my apartment to pack and shower (always shower before international travel because you never know when your next shower will be!) and head to the airport.

This wasn’t a bad birthday indeed. 

The Blue Lagoon is even better than you’d expect

After that trip (I wanted to eat hakarl and visit a lagoon, both of which I did!), it hit me – the healthy way for me to grieve the Colonel was by traveling.  Since I work from home, it was hard to be here alone all day without him.  But since I work from home, I can work anywhere. 

God gave me a great opportunity in the midst of grief!

I quickly sketched out dates and locations I wanted to go during the second half of 2024 and talked to work about it.  I was able to fortunately add personal trips onto work trips in locations with good airports for flights.

In late August I crossed off a bucket list item and went to Kyrgyzstan to see a kok boru match.  I’d wanted to do this for 7 years, and though it was a haul and somewhat scary (I hired someone to drive me four hours into the Krygyz countryside alone), it was amazing. 

Lake Issy Kul - GORGEOUS

At the Hippodrome

Kok boru LIVE!

In September, in between two work trips I went to see the Walmart Museum (I adore Walmart and always will) and drove around the south through four states I’d never visited (northwestern Arkansas truly is gorgeous).

In October, I went to Colombia for work.  I hated work trips when I had Colonel Mustard because I didn’t want to leave him, but not it was an adventure for me!  (Again, I’d do anything to have him back, but that’s not an option.)

The food in Bogota is insane

At the end of the month, I had a conference in Los Angeles then flew to Honolulu for a few days.  It was just as gorgeous as I’d expected.

Perhaps the loveliest opportunity was in mid-November.  I had to be in New York for work, so I decided to take a week in Italy to see a few pieces of art I still wanted to see.  I ended up tacking on two additional weeks and working there. 

After I saw the Laocoon, the Sistine Chapel, and The Last Supper, I went to Bologna for a few days to eat in the famous food alley (I was sitting in my hotel in Milan trying to decide where to go next when I found a post about the best pasta this man had ever had in an alley in Bologna and said “I’M IN!”), then spent just over a week working in Florence and Rome, respectively.

So I spent almost a month in Italy around the holidays.

(Also, yes, the food alley was so very worth it.)

Michelangelo sculpted this out of a SINGLE BLOCK OF MARBLE

Bologna is really medieval - this is Italy’s sleeper hit

Downtown Florence

Ponte Vecchio in Florence

La Pieta by Michelangelo (St. Peter’s Basilica

The Colosseum, WOW

I flew back to Pittsburgh to unpack then repack for a week in New York for work then headed to Copenhagen.  FYI, Copenhagen’s bakeries smell better than those in Italy!

The Little Mermaid

Tivoli Gardens

That brings us to today.  I just passed the one year anniversary of losing the Colonel. 

I knew I didn’t want to be here alone for that – it would just be too sad (because I know myself well enough to know that I’d obsess over it).  Instead, I went to Namibia to climb the sand dunes in the Namib Desert and see Sossusvlei.  I brought Colonel Mustard with me though!

Big Daddy sand dune in the Namib Desert (I think?)

Outskirts of the Namib Desert

Sunset during a safari

Christchurch in Windhoek

Giraffes are so lovely in the wild

Hippos are REMARKABLY dangerous, and I’ve wanted to see them forever

This year, I celebrated my birthday at Machu Picchu. 

FYI the ruins weren’t the best part – it was the Andes.  As we were driving up to the top of the mountains, I cried a little because they were so majestic.  I was so grateful in this moment, and for the past year, that God had allowed me to go out and see His handiwork.  (The first half of Psalm 19 has had a profound impact on me.) 

Looking back, I still miss Colonel Mustard.  But I am grateful and humbled that God held me close to Him and provided such incredible experiences for me, to see the things He has created. 

Because if God can create the Andes mountains and the sand dunes in Namibia, He can solve any of your problems. 

Whatever grief you’re going through with your sweet pet now, God will open a door for you.  I’m excited to hear what it is.

Shoot me an email if you need prayers.  Please include a picture of your fur baby!

YOU’LL ALSO LIKE:

How to Build Your Best Travel Snack Pack