16 • Share Your Story

Every story we tell is a bridge, from pain to purpose, from loss to love. When we speak our truth, we don’t just heal ourselves, we help the world remember what love sounds like.

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Sharing Ellie’s Story Helped Me Grieve

When we choose to share our beloved animal’s story, when we let others see what they meant to us, it’s more healing than we could imagine.

I had been sharing Ellie’s journey on social media from the moment we brought her home. Two months and two days. That’s how long we had her. And in that short time, her story reached thousands of people. People from all over the world who watched her grow, cheered on her little milestones, and sent prayers when things got tough.

So when she passed, I wanted to crawl into a dark hole and disappear. I didn’t want to get out of bed, let alone be seen on social media. And at the very same time, I wanted to scream our love from the rooftops. I wanted everyone to know how extraordinary she was, and I wanted everyone to care.

So I gave myself the space I needed to disconnect. But in the moments when my heart ached to share, about how special she was, how much we belonged to each other, I did. Something inside me just knew I had to keep telling her story. Honestly. Vulnerably. In real time. And while sharing came with its own kind of pressure, it also gave me a sacred gift: It invited me to grieveal.

I had to go back through hundreds of videos, watching her stumble and fall and play. I cried every single day for months. But in sharing her story, I wasn’t just remembering her, I was honoring her. I was feeling her love for me and my love for her. I was letting myself go through the grief, rather than just brushing past it or bottling it up. And I’m so grateful I did. Because while I will always miss her fur body, I feel her with me now. Truly. Peacefully. Joyfully.

Share Your Story: Let It Out So You Can Let Love In

There’s a reason we’re drawn to telling our stories. It’s not just about remembering, it’s about releasing, reframing, honoring. It’s about healing.

Something deep happens inside us when we share what we’ve been through, especially when it comes to grief, and especially when it comes to the love we shared with our animals. Our beloved animals are often the purest love we’ve ever known. And when they die, the pain can feel unspeakable. But if we never speak it, if we never bring it into the Light, we end up carrying it in the dark. And in the dark, it can fester. The shame, the guilt, the what if I had done more questions, they swirl and haunt and keep us small.

But when we speak it, when we write it down, when we dare to share it—it moves. It transforms. It opens something. We open. And through that opening… love rushes in.

Why Storytelling Heals Us

I want to tell you something science says, and your Soul already knows: Storytelling rewires the brain, (see References: Story telling heals and rewires the brain).

Studies from grief therapy and neuroscience show that narrating your experience, whether through writing, speaking, or art, can literally re-pattern the neural pathways affected by trauma and loss. Studies have found that people who write about emotionally charged experiences show significant improvements in physical health, immune function, and mental clarity. Why? Because when we tell our story, we make meaning. And meaning is medicine.

Sharing your beloved animal’s story can also reduce feelings of guilt and shame. When you bring it out of the shadows and into community, whether that’s one safe person or a broader audience, you find permission within you to let the pain go. You realize you’re not alone. You realize, maybe for the first time, that your love was real… and your pain is valid. And most powerfully: that you did your best.

I want you to hear that again: You did your best. And sharing your story helps your nervous system start to believe the truth, and as you begin to feel it, you begin to heal.

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What If the Story You’re Avoiding Is the One That Sets You Free?

Sometimes, we think we need to “be over it” before we can share. But what I’ve found is that the stories we resist sharing are often the ones that need our voice the most. Maybe it’s the messy middle. Maybe it’s the part you feel guilty about. Maybe it’s the moment you made the impossible choice, the euthanasia, the surgery you couldn’t afford, the foster pup you had to say goodbye to too soon.

These stories hurt. But here’s the magic: when we bring compassion to those stories, when we speak them with tenderness instead of judgment, we don’t just heal. We transform. We release the misbelief I failed them and let the Light show the truth I loved them more than life.

So many people I’ve worked with want to skip to the happy memories. And yes, those matter so much. Tell the funny moments. Tell the joy. Tell the bliss. Keep their humor and their personality alive in your family and in your rituals. That is sacred and essential. But don’t skip the hard parts. The fear. The guilt. The anger. Even the relief you may have felt when they passed, because yes, sometimes we feel relief when their suffering ends, or when our caretaking load gets lifted. You get to feel everything. And you’re allowed to tell the whole story. The wholeness is what heals.

Creating as Healing: Letting Grief Become Art, Meaning, and Magic

When we love deeply, we often ache to do something with that love. To make it real. To make it last. To make it visible. There’s something deeply healing that happens when we turn our grief, and our love, into something physical. A song. A garden. A scrapbook. A tattoo. A painting. A morning ritual. A book.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be true. When we create from our grief, we’re not “moving on.” We’re moving with. We’re honoring the truth that this love changed us forever. And we’re giving it form, something our nervous system deeply responds to.

So let yourself be brave. Let your story, your love, your heartbreak, become something physical. Something sacred. It could be:

A memory box or altar with their collar, toy, or ashes
A letter buried under a favorite tree
A song recorded on your phone
A wall of photos in your home
A photo book filled with memories and meaning
A tattoo with their name or symbol
A piece of jewelry you wear to feel close
A painting, collage, or sculpture, even if it’s messy </aside>

Let it be imperfect. Let it be healing. Let it be yours. This is one more way we grieveal, by letting our feelings move through us into form. So they can become something beautiful. Something whole. Something that reminds us: Love never dies. And our story is still being written.

There’s no “right” project. The options are endless. So trust your instinct. And to get you inspired and gently moving, here are some tangible ways to start:

A Photo Book: A digitally printed book of images and memories

No rules, no timeline, just a collection of your favorite moments. You can add captions or let the images speak for themselves. This becomes your altar of remembrance.

Tip: Try services like Shutterfly, Chatbooks, Snapfish, or your local print shop.

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A Scrapbook: A hands-on healing ritual filled with memories, textures, and love

Use a blank scrapbook to gather not just photos, but pieces of your journey together, handwritten notes, printed texts, pieces of fur, dried flowers, stamps from adventures, parts of collars, tags, favorite quotes, song lyrics, or your own poetry. Each page can represent a moment, a feeling, or a theme: “The Day We Met”, “Our Morning Ritual”, “What You Taught Me About Joy”. Include textures and materials that feel meaningful, fabric from a favorite blanket, ribbon from a gift, paw prints, or even vet records if they hold emotional value. This is your tactile altar.

Tip: You can make this a living document. Add to it anytime your heart needs a place to land.

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The Timeline of a Life: Tell their story, year by year

Map out their life visually, from puppyhood or your first meeting, to their final year. Include favorite toys, people, habits, and holidays. Give each year a name, like “The Year of the Lake” or “Our Beach Adventures.” This becomes a legacy storybook, a tribute not just to who they were, but to the life you built together.

Tip: Let each chapter carry a lesson or theme.

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Their Lessons as Their Legacy: A guidebook of the Soul wisdom they came to give you

This becomes your spiritual companion. Think about the big truths they helped you remember, like “Love without needing,” or “Be present for joy.” Include photos or drawings to go with each lesson.

Tip: Add your own affirmations that match their energy. Let this book remind you who you are.

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Your Love Story: A full-hearted, Soul-deep story of the two of you

Write it all. The way they chose you. The way they looked at you. The private rituals no one else saw. The names you called them. The way they taught you to feel safe, or to be real. This isn’t just their life story, it’s yours too. Let it be intimate, silly, messy, wild.

Tip: This process alone can be a profound step in reclaiming the depth and divinity of your love.

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A Movie Tribute: A visual celebration of their life and love

Use photos, clips, and music to create a short film. It doesn’t have to be polished, just honest. Play it on anniversaries. Watch it when you miss them. Or share it with the world.

Tip: Apps like iMovie, CapCut, Canva Video, Splice, Animoto, or even TikTok/Instagram Reels are great starting points.

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No matter which path you choose, each of these is more than a project. It’s a practice. As you make them, healing happens. Emotions move. Love flows. You remember. You reconnect. You reclaim just how real, and how beautiful, your bond truly was. Let yourself be changed as you create. Let yourself be healed as you remember. Let love become something you can hold in your hands.

Create a Ritual of Sharing

You don’t have to publish your story on social media (though you absolutely can if it feels right). But I do recommend you share your physical creation with at least with one person.

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The act of sharing is the act of healing. And your beloved Animal, now your Rainbow One, deserves to be remembered not just in silence, but in celebration.

This Experience Will Help You Discover Your Rainbow One’s Gifts

One of the greatest gifts of sharing your story about your Rainbow One is discovering the deeper purpose they came to fulfill in your life. So often, as we speak our vulnerable stories out loud, the rhyme and reason running through our lives begins to reveal itself.

Ellie came to help me find my voice. But I had no awareness of that at first — not until I started chatting with her. And it wasn’t until I shared the story of our very first incredible chat with my husband that the truth of it became unmistakably clear.

If Ellie came to help me find my voice, what did your Rainbow One come to help you find? Or reclaim? Or release? This experience is here to help you crystallize their legacy, and possibly even uncover the heart of your story or the book you’re being called to write.

Some animals come with one clear, unmistakable gift that echoes through every part of your life. Others offer a constellation of gifts, each one sparkling in a different way. When I revisit this experience, the message is always rooted in the same essence: Ellie came to help me find my voice. That core energy never changes, but the way it applies in my life continues to evolve.

Remember the gifts come in all shades. From seemingly positive to negative. Without feeling the hurt that came up many times, by being growled at Ellie, I might not have allowed my old wounds to come up for healing. And without that, I might not be here writing this book.

Dogs are kinda like God. Both in physical form, and in the form of the grief and love they leave behind. All of them can be used to expand us into more of the Unconditional loving that we are. If your animal had behavioral problems - lean in and allow yourself to feel how that was for you. Was their behavior particularly challenging for you because it actually triggers something deeper inside.