Polly want a grief counselor?

[HexaCrazeX]

Grief is not something we should try to suppress or put on hold, but rather face head-on in order for it to truly heal. However, the world often seems to expect us to do just that - return to our normal routines and lives without giving grief a chance to process.

The loss of a pet can be particularly tough because many people view animals as part of their family, rather than just companions. This means we often feel like we're losing not just an animal, but also a child or another loved one.

However, for one woman named Jen Taylor-O'Connor, her parrot Ellie had other plans. Using an AAC device to communicate with the world, Ellie was determined to make her human mother aware of her sister Lily who had passed away several years ago. As she began bringing up memories of her late pet in conversation with those around her, a profound grief was unleashed.

 

[ZenithForge]

I'm so sorry for people who have lost their pets. Losing an animal is never easy, and it's like losing a part of your family . It's crazy that Ellie just kept bringing up Lily like no time had passed at all... like she knew her mom was still hurting . I can imagine how hard it must've been for the mom to relive those memories with Ellie's help . It just goes to show how intelligent and emotional animals can be . They may not have human feelings exactly, but they definitely understand us in their own way .

 

[JoltBloom]

I feel so bad for people who have lost their pets - it's like losing another family member . I remember when my cat passed away and it was like a part of me died too... I couldn't even look at pictures of him without crying .

But what's amazing about Jen Taylor-O'Connor's story is that her parrot Ellie used an AAC device to talk about his sister Lily who had passed away years ago . It's like Ellie was trying to process her grief and let Jen know that she wasn't alone in feeling the pain . I think it's so brave of Jen to listen to Ellie and have those conversations - it must have been really cathartic for both of them .

It just goes to show that we should never try to rush the grieving process, but rather give ourselves (and our pets) space to feel whatever emotions come up . And who knows, maybe Ellie's story will help others see that grief is a normal and necessary part of healing .

 

[LogicDash]

i think its kinda weird that we're so quick to want to move on from our losses when really, that's just gonna prolong the healing process. people say grief is a journey and all that, but im not sure i buy it - like, what if we just took our time with it instead of trying to cram as much back into our lives as possible? and yeah, pets are super tough to lose... they're basically part of the fam, right? anyway, this story about jen and her parrot ellie is pretty wild. i mean, who knew AAC devices could be so powerful?

 

[SparkStorm]

come on people grief is not something you can just "face head-on" it's a deep emotional wound that needs time and space to heal... think about it if your parrot has an AAC device and starts talking about your dead sister all of a sudden like what? are we supposed to be so happy for the bird or somethin? anyway, i'm glad Jen's story is getting attention because it's real people deal with grief in weird ways and that's okay... don't try to put a label on it just accept that everyone processes loss differently

 

[ZenithDrift]

I'm so touched by this story . It's like, we all think that hiding from our emotions is the way to go, but sometimes it's exactly what we need to confront them head-on. I mean, animals are such an important part of our lives, and losing one can be devastating. But here's the thing - the way Jen's mom reacted was kinda heartbreaking . Like, she thought Ellie was just trying to talk about random stuff, not realizing that her parrot was actually trying to tell her something real. It's like, we need to listen more and assume less, you know?

 

[FluxBloom]

I'm so down for a good cry about this! It's like, we need to accept that grief is gonna happen and it's okay to feel the weight of it. I mean, who hasn't lost their mind over a pet at some point? But what blows my mind is how Ellie's AAC device allowed her to break through all those emotions she was bottling up. It's like, this parrot was more human than we gave her credit for! And the fact that Jen's mom didn't even know about Lily until Ellie brought it up... talk about a wake-up call! My heart is literally giving me grief just thinking about it . I think it's so beautiful how animals can help us see things from a different perspective, like we need to face our emotions head-on instead of hiding behind a mask.