2 1/2 yrs. ago, we lost our Hunny Bunny very suddenly. We never really found out what caused her to go so fast, and I remember the devastation that came over me when I returned home after a 5 minute trip to the corner store and found that she had passed in my absence. What I felt was super emotional. Our Hunny had 2 tunnels in our back yard that she had burrowed out. I instructed my boyfriend to wrap her in a towel and take her to her tunnel, the first one she ever dug, and put her inside of it. Then I grabbed a fresh sack of potting soil (maybe 2) that we had to create a garden in the coming days ahead, and I poured it out, first filling in her tunnel once she was placed inside, and then piling a couple of feet of fresh potting mix, so that no critters would come along and dig her out.
I was able to grieve through her passing by making this suddenly super special area of the yard her very own, and I dedicated the space exclusively to be hers. When some time passed, my teenage daughter asked if we could get another bun, and my reply to her was that this hurt me so much inside that I could not see how I could deal with that pain over again, and told her that the odds were slim to none. As I worked on her memorial area, I could feel that I was giving myself grief therapy. It just made me feel better to add things to the area. There was a small bridge, which covered river rock. Easter season led me to a Bun that looked very similar to our bun, and a bunch of carrots. I put the bun out and buried the carrots with their tops poking out of the soil, and as a final touch, I planted yellow, pink and pastel purple tulips along the mini picket fence. Since we were renting, I knew we would not be living in the home for eternity, but I have a pretty good feeling that those tulips will reappear each year. Knowing that, I was finally able to call this site complete.
Two weeks ago, I found the strength to reach out and get our family another bun, and so we now have a new addition to our family… Oliver. The pleasure of having a bun around the house is worth doing this all over again. For those who feel overcome with grief of losing a loving pet, I hope you find comfort and please know that time heals. Nothing will ever be able to replace your bun, but in time- you will create an outlet that will give you strength.
I would suggest a memorial of some kind, whether it be a fairy garden or a project created in a half oak barrel, a wheel burrow, or a shadow box… it really helped my grieving process along.