“Acts of Kindness:
A random act of kindness, no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone else’s life.”
~ Roy T. Bennett
It’s been a hard few weeks, with the loss of our precious dog Bert.
It’s also been rough because I am still fighting the antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection that I picked up in hospital last year. It’s manifested as a persistent urinary tract infection that has made my life quite miserable. Right now I’m on aggressive treatment, which is working, but which also involves regular IV therapy, acupuncture and lots of herbs and essential oils.
So you can imagine that I have been feeling a little glum…
Ben and Harry and I have been greatly buoyed by all of your kind comments and love, and the outpouring of stories you’ve shared with us of your own pets and loved ones.
Thank you. <3
It has made a tough time more bearable.
I also received two other gifts on Wednesday which have overwhelmed us with their kindness.
The first was a little book, made by my thoughtful friend Monique Sinclaire. Inside were a collection of pictures of Bert which she must have found online. In an act of deep synchronicity the photo at the beginning and end of the book were the same ones I chose for the beginning and end of Wednesday’s blog about Bert’s passing. Thank you, Monique. We’ll treasure this!
The other was a short video, made by the ever-kind Kerry Warnholtz. Kerry is an incredibly gifted and heart-centered photographer and videographer. Last year Kerry spent a week at our farm and one of my retreats to shoot footage for a short documentary for me. The aim of the documentary was to capture the work and care we put into preparing for and running our retreats.
I’ll show you the results soon. It’s wonderful!
Of course Kerry shot oodles of footage. Of everything. And somewhere in all of that she had the sweetest piece of video, of Ben, me and Nurse Bert, in the back yard at the end of the day, as we all enjoyed a cup of tea and the leftover treats from our photo shoot. (A big shout out to Jessie and Andrew from Home Amongst The Green, whose delicious treats feature on the plate that Bert can’t take his eyes off!)
It was such a glorious and unexpected wonder, to look at our beautiful boy once more, being his irrepressible food-oriented self. Watch his eyes, which tell you quite repeatedly that he would like a treat please!
Thank you, Kerry. It made us laugh and cry, and all of that is good medicine.
If you’re ever looking for someone to capture the heart and soul of your family or business in images, look no further than Kerry. I can’t recommend her highly enough. You can find her at Truth Seeker Images Multimedia.
And here he is, Nurse Bert, one more time…
Hi Nicole,
I’ve been following your blog for almost three years now, and without fail, it provides me with daily wisdom, comfort, joy, reflection, and hope. Thank you for the work that you do.You bring so much light into the world. I was so sorry to hear about Nurse Bert, and wanted to offer you my condolences.
The neatest thing happened yesterday though, and that’s why I’m writing. I bumped into a friend I hadn’t seen in a few months, and he let me know he and his girlfriend were adopting a puppy from a rescue. When I asked him what kind of dog, he told me it was an Australian Cattle Dog. I immediately thought about Nurse Bert, because I have to tell you, that is a fairly rare breed here in Canada. I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered anyone with an Australian Cattle Dog here.. So in that moment, I thought: maybe Nurse Bert’s spirit has returned in this puppy, and is ready to bring love and joy to this new family. And I thought that might bring you some comfort and make you smile.
All the best, and thanks again for your wonderful work,
Emily
Nicole,
I am sorry for your loss. I had tears in my eyes whilst reading about ‘Nurse Bert’. I know how much you helped me at the loss of our beloved pet ‘Brandy’ and hope you have someone to console you as much as you helped me.
Blessings and hugs
Jan
Now I really liked the video clip, Bert will be missed
my dog is getting old so because of Bert I’m loving up my dog Joey even more . Berts passing made me more aware that I need to give as much love to my boy as I can while I still have him . Bert has inspired me he’s still Nurse Bert. love, Jo-Ann
On Thu, Jan 26, 2017 at 3:00 PM, Cauldrons and Cupcakes wrote:
> Cauldrons and Cupcakes posted: ” “Acts of Kindness: A random act of > kindness, no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone > else’s life.” ~ Roy T. Bennett It’s been a hard few weeks, with the loss > of our precious dog Bert. It’s also been rough because I am still ” >
❤️
How Special !!!
How thoughtful both your special friends were and what treasured gifts they gave. Having one of our “children” cross to the other side leaves such a sad and hollow space but it is the memories we have and the special mementos which help to bring back the smiles, joy and laughter. I love hearing the antics and stories of Nurse Bert and Cafe Dog. It makes you real, like one of us! Thank you for sharing your video. It made me cry but I did keep watching it a few times (and loved Bert’s eyes….lol). Lots of love to you and Ben and Harry as you pass through this very sad time. xxx
Oh, what a precious video that is xxx
It’s a wonderful thing to have video of someone you love when they are no longer there. Heart wrenching. I loved the photo book idea as well. He was a most expressive dog.. You never stop missing them.
Teardrops of joy and sadness and love … so much love🌿xxx
Beautiful gifts and memories for you both to cherish <3 <3
Such a lovely piece of footage, thank you sharing. What a wonderfully expressive face Bert has, he was so beautiful. Much love to you all xxxxxx