Author's Reading: Good Grief ... On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter"

The Perfect Paws Pet Ministry at All Saints Episcopal North Shore is hosting E.B. Bartels' reading from her acclaimed new book about the love and loss of beloved animal companions on Sunday, September 18, at 4:30 PM, on Zoom and you really, really don't want to miss it.

It's a sweet, sometimes funny, often poignant chronicle of the many ways we find to mourn our animal friends once they pass. And it is hands down the perfect read for anyone who's been there and has, sadly, done that.

Interspersed with stories of her personal pet losses, E.B. examines the many ways humans mark the passing of a beloved animal companion in this deeply satisfying read.

From Massachusetts to Japan, to ancient Egypt to today, E.B. reports on how differently humans cope with the universal emotion of pet loss. E.B. reports on an inspiring array of rituals -- from the traditional (scattering ashes, commissioning a portrait), to the grand (funeral processions, mausoleums), to the unexpected (taxidermy, cloning) in this unique book.

Says E.B.: "Even if its death is long in the past, it doesn't mean that the pet isn't still part of you. It doesn't mean that the experience of having that pet didn't profoundly change you, or make your life better, or help you become a stronger, happier person. Even if it's been six years, 13 years, a whole lifetime, those animals still deserve to be honored and remembered." For all of us who love the animals in our lives and still hold a flame of remembrance in our hearts for those that have gone before, "Good Grief ... On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter" is a balm for the soul.

Perfect Paws is honored to have E.B. Bartels do an author's reading on Sunday, September 18, prior to our monthly 5 PM worship service.

You can purchase the book from HarperCollins here, or from Amazon, here. It's also available from Target.