Originally Posted by lisaly (Post 4424034)

Yoda will live on in the hearts of those who loved him and the legacy that he leaves behind. This wonderful website is a testament to your love, and it has helped so many Yorkies and has brought so many people close together. I am deeply sorry for your loss. No matter how long our babies have been in our lives, it is just never enough, but their love and impact on our lives lasts forever. This passage helped me when I lost one of my little ones. I hope it does the same for you.

A Living Love

If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will always remember . . .

The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your young new friend. You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that silly looking mutt in a shelter -- simply because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore, and claim its special place in your hall or front room -- and when you feel it brush against you for the first time -- it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through the many years to come.

The second day will occur eight or nine or ten years later. It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will see sleep when you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust your friend's diet -- and you may add a pill or two to her food. And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a coming emptiness. And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until the third day finally arrives.

And on this day -- if your friend and whatever higher being you believe in have not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own -- on behalf of your lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest Spirit. But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you -- you will feel as long as a single star in the dark night.

If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your circle of family or friends will be able to understand your grief, or comfort you.

But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul -- a bit smaller in size than your own -- seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely days to come.

And at moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary to happen, you may feel something brush against your leg -- very very lightly.

And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend used to lie -- you will remember those three significant days. The memory will most likely to be painful, and leave an ache in your heart--
-
As time passes the ache will come and go as if it has a life of its own. You will both reject it and it, and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache.

But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when -- along with the memory of your pet -- and piercing through the heaviness in your heart -- there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we have loved, and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living Love -- like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have wilted, this Love will remain and grow -- and be there for us to remember. It is a love we have earned. It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go. And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live. It is a Love which is ours alone. And until we ourselves leave, perhaps to join our Beloved Pets -- it is a Love we will always possess.

~~by Martin Scot Kosins

Originally Posted by fasteddie (Post 4425495)

It would have been Yoda's 12th birthday today. While he is no longer physically with us, he'll always be in our hearts and with us in spirit. He'd been with us about a third of our lives, his cute little smiling face, little yelps and amazing love and devotion greeting us every day, and giving us hugs and kisses whenever we wanted. One of our favorite things to do is to put Yoda between his Mommy and I and snuggle and kiss him and make a "Yoda sandwich".

I think we'll get some cupcakes and then share them with people, as Yoda just LOVES food and treats. Yoda has become our little 'food' angel and whenever we eat well or have good food, we thank him. :)

The pain of losing a little Yorkie is unlike any pain we've ever experienced and we feel for all that have ever had a Yorkie go onto Rainbow Bridge. Thank you for welcoming Yoda to Rainbow Bridge, we're sure he has made a ton of new friends already.

We brought Yoda's remains home yesterday and we've made a little shrine for him near our fireplace, where he loved to hang out.

We would like to thank every person who has replied to this thread, there have been so many wonderful comments and poems and writings and we appreciate them all. We're honored that Yoda has made a positive impact in so many Yorkies and their parents' lives. It has been incredibly hard for us the past week, but your words of support and encouragement are very touching and beneficial. THANK YOU.

Yoda, thank you for saving our home:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...-our-home.html

and for all sorts of wonderful parties we've gotten to experience with you, like your 4th Birthday Party:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...hday-yoda.html

We love you, :yoda:!

Originally Posted by fasteddie (Post 4426055)

We just got a delivery of a lovely pot with flowers.

Thank you very much, YorkieTalk family! They are beautiful (even if I have no idea what kind of flowers they are)!

And below the counter is the pictures I have of Yoda & Winky that I look at every day at work, which are from a YorkieTalk calendar :)