Teri, it took me three tries to get through this essay. I think there must be something in my eye. What I cannot fathom, after all my years on this miserable planet, is why the political faction on the right continues to demonize Renee Good as though she had been armed to the teeth and drawing a bead on the assembled ICE "agents". I guess we had a good run as a country. Thank you, Teri.
The way grief gets displaced onto the dog is so painfully real and human. When tragedy feels to overwhelming to process directly, fixing on a witnes animal lets the mind offload some of that horror without collapsing entirely. I once heard a therapist describe this as the brain's way of parceling unbearable loss into smaller compartments we can handle. The parralel drawn between your own rural Kentucky neighborhood bonds unraveling and the national divide hits especially hard beccause both losses track back to 2016.
My heart is aching over this horrific act by a person who is suppose to be support for US citizens. And now after your feelings about her dog that I had totally forgot about my heart has sinks to my toes! I'm away from home and my wife says our dog has been lethargic and mopping around since I've been gone. I can't imagine the loss a dog feels when their human friend is gone forever. This is such an awful time!
Tears here! For Renee, her dear dog, her partner, and especially for all of us. I'm 90 (& a half) &, have been politically active most of my life, thinking I was working to make our (used to be great) nation even better for my children/grandchildren/great-grands! (theory: things always can be better, or simply "supported"). I am SO disappointed, disheartened, & SAD! As said, tears here! Lots & LOTS of tears, but ya' know? I'll keep on trying - - - can't stop now! Thank YOU Teri - you & your words help!!!!
Wow! This is the most beautiful and heartbreaking piece of writing I have read in a long time. I too, have been thinking about her dog and what happened to it. How perfectly normal and average that day b gan for her, and how terribly wrong it all went.
I can't help but wonder what the reaction would be if instead of her dog it was her six year old son sitting in that back seat witnessing that execution.
Teri, it took me three tries to get through this essay. I think there must be something in my eye. What I cannot fathom, after all my years on this miserable planet, is why the political faction on the right continues to demonize Renee Good as though she had been armed to the teeth and drawing a bead on the assembled ICE "agents". I guess we had a good run as a country. Thank you, Teri.
The way grief gets displaced onto the dog is so painfully real and human. When tragedy feels to overwhelming to process directly, fixing on a witnes animal lets the mind offload some of that horror without collapsing entirely. I once heard a therapist describe this as the brain's way of parceling unbearable loss into smaller compartments we can handle. The parralel drawn between your own rural Kentucky neighborhood bonds unraveling and the national divide hits especially hard beccause both losses track back to 2016.
Thank you for sharing such a poignant observation. 💔
My heart is aching over this horrific act by a person who is suppose to be support for US citizens. And now after your feelings about her dog that I had totally forgot about my heart has sinks to my toes! I'm away from home and my wife says our dog has been lethargic and mopping around since I've been gone. I can't imagine the loss a dog feels when their human friend is gone forever. This is such an awful time!
86#47
Tears here! For Renee, her dear dog, her partner, and especially for all of us. I'm 90 (& a half) &, have been politically active most of my life, thinking I was working to make our (used to be great) nation even better for my children/grandchildren/great-grands! (theory: things always can be better, or simply "supported"). I am SO disappointed, disheartened, & SAD! As said, tears here! Lots & LOTS of tears, but ya' know? I'll keep on trying - - - can't stop now! Thank YOU Teri - you & your words help!!!!
Beautiful, Teri. <3
Heartbreaking in every respect. So terribly sad. So horrific. Our country has become a place we don't recognize.
Wow! This is the most beautiful and heartbreaking piece of writing I have read in a long time. I too, have been thinking about her dog and what happened to it. How perfectly normal and average that day b gan for her, and how terribly wrong it all went.
I can't help but wonder what the reaction would be if instead of her dog it was her six year old son sitting in that back seat witnessing that execution.
If only dogs could talk...
Thank you, Bill. It’s all so overwhelming.
When will it be too much heartbreak?
Yes, Teri.
It’s the same in our house.
Enough.