I thought this exchange was so important and worth sharing in its entirety…it ain’t easy…but it is worth it…something wonderful may be around the corner…or someone like our zelda! yes, someone like zelda! (not to mention friends like Mary Beth, Madeleine, Diane, Dee, Tierra, Edward, and Becki!)

Here is the exchange…

Susie Sexton: what a hateful world we live in…and to do nothing to stop the cruelty is unforgivable. Read here…“New York Geese Gathered for Gassing”

Mary Beth Purdy – Artz: thank you so much

Susie Sexton: thank YOU, mary beth. i am worn out from caring as much as i do…and the falling of our advocacy upon deaf ears. very discouraging i can attest to that! let’s never stop though.

Madeleine Fisher-Kern: It’s like pleading to a headless corpse.

Susie Sexton: yep…the best description i ever read, madeleine–perfect…and the fluff on facebook does not help…about to give up this avenue altogether. such shallowness i have never witnessed in my lifetime. and the word “god” is thrown around about as if HE might be elvis. tired of it all.

Mary Beth Purdy – Artz: “Never give up. No matter what is going on never give up. Develop the heart. Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind instead of the heart, BE COMPASSIONATE not just to your friends but to everyone, BE COMPASSIONATE work for peace in your heart and in the world. Work for peace and I say again, never give up. No matter what is happening, no matter what is going on around you. Never give up.” — His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Madeleine Fisher-Kern: It’s not Facebook though I have my Facebook angst. The shallowness is a human condition that will not abate and is on the incline. Material things are getting more sacred and life is becoming less so. We kill as a solution to fricken everything and the killer suffers less and less remorse. We are in for worse times as I see it.

Mary Beth Purdy – Artz: Madeline, i agree, it is a world I never imagined and a world I frequently can’t wait to leave.

Madeleine Fisher-Kern: Mary, the thing is, though I feel similarly, we must know that it is you, Susie and myself included and those many more who feel as we do that are the only ones slowing the process in losing all our humanity. We’re the thorns on the sides of all those god spewing, tobacco chewing, sh*t kicking, ass licking, mindless “replicants” who pretend to be part of the human race.

Mary Beth Purdy – Artz: Thanks for reminding me, Madeleine 🙂

Madeleine Fisher-Kern: At your service, Mary.

Susie Sexton: both of you gave me goose bumps…pardon the pun…facebook can be fabulous after all…because i truly have you two human humane beings in my life as if i knew you both from birth. had to part with a “100% dog” of ours yesterday – Zelda. she literally started to fall apart sunday and got more frail yesterday. she looked gorgeous as she was euthanized for 150 dollars. no wonder folks take seniors to the pounds — pricey proposition. our doctor is so wonderful and we completely believe in her expertise. but i am so distraught today. we saved this canine who was five minutes from euthanasia over 10 years ago, having been impounded as a young stray dog found at the wal-mart parking lot. after the “holiday” of july 4th a decade ago, she was to be put down. i played al pacino and hid behind a pillar at the vet’s when she was brought in and very much alive and said that i wanted her after being told by the man who headed up the dog pound that this beauty was already dead…she was not…and because i pursued her trail, i saved her life and what a dandy dog she was. and how sad i am today for the state of the world as i wallow in my own personal grief which is huge. i love you two! oh, yes!

Mary Beth Purdy – Artz: Susie, I am so sorry to hear this. I know the pain is awful. What a lucky dog to have you as a companion. ♥

Susie Sexton: thanks for your perfect words, mary beth…yep, i would rather die myself i believe than go through this one more time. it’s like my heart is being strangled in gauze or some other filmy undecipherable foggy material if that makes ANY sense?????? some days lately, i just wish to be absent from this mortal coil myself…more and more each day. the world is a complete puzzle to me.

Madeleine Fisher-Kern: And one more time times ten, we will all choose to save and give a life of love with the knowledge that we will out live these treasures. And we do it cause we love them. And if we can give them even a mere minute of love and comfort, which they deserve, we will have reason to do it again.

Postscript…

Susie Sexton: this girl of ours was like mark twain with haley’s comet…I saved her about the same time of year she died…

Diane Shenkman Baumgarten: Dear Susie, I feel there is no difference between losing a beloved human or animal soul. The ones we love know how much we love them as they do us in most circumstances. To rescue a pet is a special act of kindness , only done by very special people. You are very special as I read about you daily and your beautiful girl knows what you did for her. They always do. So, god bless both of you. I send you my condolences , but no words are adequate at this time. With love, Diane

Becki Downing Jacquay: I am so sorry to hear of your loss…Your blog has me in tears this morning. I also have such unshakable grief when an animal passes. Please know I will be thinking of you and Don.

Dee Turner: Your story about your beloved Zelda really touched my heart Susie. As a true animal lover and rescuer since my teens, I can unequivocally say how deeply I feel the pain of your loss. You have certainly earned the right to grieve as long as …you need to w/o having to explain or defend yourself. This is the last kind thing we can do for our pets, and why wouldn’t we? Our bond is so unbreakable and even though the relationship changes to the spiritual plane, I take some comfort in knowing that the love never dies, the memories stay with us and we will be reunited in that realm when it is our time to cross over. I often find myself getting teary in unguarded moments, but feel their spirits stay around us & we can tune into that whenever we need to feel their presence in our present lives. They bless us with their unconditional love & we honor their memory when we feel their loss so deeply, by sharing the love with other furry souls facing death everywhere around us. My other fosters help to fill a great void on the physical & emotional levels, to keep my focus positive, despite a very cold, cruel world sometimes. They help motivate me to keep fighting vs animal abuse every day. How can we not? Our pets count on us, and they would be proud knowing we speak for so many others whose rights are so violated. We grow stronger by speaking out and greater in numbers as we grow louder and reach farther, around the world. God bless & Dogs bless you!

Tierra Chapman: My sincerest condolences to all who knew Zelda. I’ve been thru this many times and nothing makes it easier to deal with other than knowing you gave some one, many someones, a good and loving home that they likely may not have had if not for you. Still, their passing leves such a huge hole in our hearts. May fond memories soon fill it. RIP, Zelda. ~♥~ Merry Meet, sadly part, Merry Meet again.~♥~

Edward Levine: So sorry, Susie and Roy…Know how brutal it is……Still grieving over Murray from Jan. 18th……….There is only 1 horrible part about owning a beloved dog and this is it………

Susie Sexton: oh, diane and dee and becki and tierra and ed, thanks! i needed that! i am very frail myself when these wondrous animals leave my side, those soul-mates who have taught me so much for years as integral parts of our family. so you have quelled my tears with your understanding heart and sympathetic message. she was an unusual german shepherd/collie mix…so gorgeous and so comfortable in her own skin. rugged and stoic and happy to be alive. i miss her although her sparkling “spirit” lives on! zelda was her name. ♥! truly, thank you, diane and becki and dee and tierra and ed!