I belong to three teams on Etsy. The Dachshund Team, The Loud and Wacky Street Team, and the Etsy Treasury Team. I joined these teams initially to get more exposure for our shop, Laughing Fridge.
I'm owned by a sweet little dachshund, I'm a bit loud and wacky, and I love to make treasuries, so I thought these teams would be a good fit. I never expected the bonus that comes with belonging to a team - making a connection with wonderful Etsy sellers and developing an extraordinary bond of friendship. I'd like to tell you a wonderful story about the amazing friends I found through these teams, and how they supported me through a difficult period a few months ago. Keep the tissue box close by...
In September our 8 yr old pug Lucy became very sick. I made a treasury called "Ode to Pug" as a kind of get well card for her. All the members of these wonderful team expressed their concern and well wishes for our Lucy. One of the Etsy Treasury Team members, Anna of Rebornasart and ALDDesigns , was inspired by my treasury to create a papier mache pug sculpture. Although Anna had never seen Lucy, she felt a connection to her while creating her pug sculpture. Then Anna sent me a wonderful email saying she wanted me to have her Lucy sculpture. These are her words...
"It would mean a lot to me if she went to live with you. I've got a very special connection to animals, I get along with them better than people actually, and somehow although I don't even know her, I've got a really special feeling about Lucy. I hope you don't think I'm weird, I'd just really love for you to have this."
Shortly after Anna started her sculpture, Lucy underwent surgery to repair her damaged lung. Sadly, she passed away during the procedure, and my heart was broken. I sent an email to Anna letting her know. Many tears flowed between the two of us. I cried as I was telling Anna what happened. She cried as she finished her Lucy sculpture. I sent Anna some pictures of Lucy and she was amazed at how much her sculpture looked like our sweet pug girl. Anna put her heart and soul into this sculpture, and when I received her gift I cried again, but this time they were happy tears. Her amazing sculpture had Lucy's essence and spirit and I felt very comforted by it. She is proudly displayed on our mantel and every time I look at her I smile. Out of tragedy, a real friendship was developed.
My friend Athena of SassySashadoxie posted a beautiful tribute to Lucy on the Dachshund team blog, Tales from the Dach Side. She featured two angel pug Etsy listings on the blog, and one of the featured sellers, Artist Vanda , whom I had never met, was moved to send me her beautiful print. I received many condolences from my teammates in the blog comments, as well on the team forum.
My dear friends on the LAWST team sent a beautiful sympathy card which was crafted by team member Beth of thequeenofcups. All of my teammates lent their support and offered condolences during Lucy's illness and after her passing.
My grief has turned into fond memories with the help of these amazing teams. There is so much more to teams than just posting and promoting on the forums; they are real people who truly care about each other and I'm so happy to a part of these wonderful groups!
'Lucy'
46 comments:
This is a great blog post. Thank you for sharing this.
So very, very thoughtful!
Michelle-
this is amazing. i'm so glad Etsy posted this in the community. i teared up and i totally know how you're feeling. my 3 year old pitbull just passed last month and i received so much love through the comfort of my blog friends. stay strong.
I'm so sorry. I too have an 8 year old pug, and I have lost pets before. I have an idea of how hard it will be when Xander, my pug, dies. It is a wonderful thing that such kindhearted people, like those who supported you while you were grieving, exist in this world.
Aww, it does my heart good to know that all of us doing our little parts helped you out during your grieving.
I too have been touched by the amazing power of friendship on my ETSY Teams. They are more than just a group of sellers. All these wonderful folks are there for each other in so many ways. Even if it is as simple as a kind word when you are in your darkest hour.
i have a pug and i'm tearing up just reading this! what a sweet little pug.
There are some really amazing people on Etsy. This post is just a reminder to me :)
I am so sorry about your loss. Lucy looks like the sweetest little pug. I have a little boston, and I teared up reading this.
So sorry to hear about Lucy! But it is wonderful to hear how the peeps in your teams were there to support you!
I just lost my 16yr old pug JoJo to heart failure at 7:50am this morning. Thank you so much for posting this.
I am almost in tears. I adore animals of all kinds. I am so glad Etsy has such kind loving animal people.
What a wonderful story about the reality of cyber friendships. I, for one, was sure nothing like that could ever happen until I became a part of PetsJubilee. Lo and behold-I consider them best friends. I am so happy for you to have found comfort in your grief by these caring friends who have left you with tangible memories of your loved Lucy.
Donna once again touched you and Lucy. Thanks for being there for Rio and I.
I teared up reading this Blog. I'm sorry to hear about Lucy. I only can imagine the hurt. 2009 we lost our Champ (14 Yr old Golden Retriever) It broke our hearts. We have Sami (Rescue Black Lab 9 yrs) & Now Levi our (1.5 year old Golden Retriever). So fun! It's hard but Read Rainbow Bridge. You will meet again someday... Google it and read it. It will make you feel better. Hugs to you, Debby
JewelryByDebby...
Thanks for sharing this story. I'm so sorry for your loss but glad you had friends to help you.
A wonderful testimonial to love of animals, friendship and support during difficult times. The story of Lucy has me hugging my own two dogs. It is wonderful that Lucy left such a spreading legacy of love. It's the best tribute that any dog could have.
CraftyMamaLea - I'm so sorry to hear about JoJo's passing this morning! I hope this story brought you some comfort.
donna
Donna, it really warms my heart to know that the sculpture means so much to you. It meant a lot for me to create something special for someone who has been such a true friend. ♥
Etsy is full of caring, sharing people, I am so glad they were able to help ease your grief.
I miss you, hope you are able to return soon :)
Hugs!
Jaci
Hi, Thank you so much for mentioning me in this tribute to Lucy. Good Bless you,
ArtistVanda
What a wonderful story of support and friendship. I'm glad you told us to grab the tissues b/c I needed them! So sorry for the loss of your Lucy.
OMG! I'm trying to read this story through blurry eyes! My two furry friends, Coco and Frida, are always with me when I'm working from home, cooking, gardening, etc. They are regular members of the family.
My heart goes out to Lucy and her family.
Much love and XOXOXO.
Michele, Frida and Coco.
that is so wonderful and I am so sad about your baby but what a sweet thing for these people to do. God bless them
I read about Lucy and the wonderful sculpture before...not sure where...and fell in love with the heartfelt story of loss and friendship. I can't help but believe that our furry friends/babies are woven into the fabric of our lives, and put on our path b/c we need each other.
And I cannot say enough about friendships forged at Etsy. This Wacky Team sounds right up my alley!
For you and others who have shared their losses, blessings and light.
xxoo pam
Donna-
This is such a sweet story..I love how you gained support and friendship though your teams during such a painful time. Miss you...hope you and John are doing well and have a nice holiday season!
I would be lying to you if I said reading this didn't make me cry like a baby...
I lost my little chihuahua late May and I am still finding it difficult to cope. I'm sorry for your loss and am glad that you both had such a creative and loving support system. Beautiful post <3
I'm sorry for the loss of your sweet Lucy. It's unbelievably sad to lose a pet. As you said, they own us and it's gutwrenching when they leave us. Mine passed after 17 plus years, and his loss is still felt in the emptiness.
It's a blessing to be able to unburden and share with your etsy friends.
Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us on your blog.
Thank you for sharing your story Donna. I'm so sorry about the loss of your Lucy.
I'm all in tears while reading this blog - because of the big loss of yours AND the great support of friends you can find online and probably never met or will meet...
there's still hope!
As I sit over here sipping my morning coffee reading this post, my Bambam (yorkiepoo, 9 yrs old) lays by my side. She is my shadow. She goes where I go. Tears are rolling down my cheeks.
I am so sorry for your loss. I am sure Lucy left a big empty space in your life.
As for etsy and all the support you got from your cyber friends, that is not surprising to me.
Bambam was very sick this past January (bladder stones) and she was in a lot of pain and I was going nuts. Where did comforting words come from to help me thru my ordeal? Yes, of course, my etsy buddies.
The way I see etsy is not only a selling venue, it's a close knit community where we come to seek support when we need and we get it.
I think the only thing you can do right now is take one day at a time. The pain is gonna lessen, it's not gonna go away, but it will lessen.
Hugs my dear friend. I am so sorry you have to go thru this.
rose & bambam
What a beautiful and touching story of love and friendship and renewal - all through the connectedness of wonderful Etsy teams. Thank you so much for sharing your story with all of us.
Your sweet, touching story has me in tears... I'm so happy you were able to find some solace and healing through the amazing circle of friends you've found. Wishing you and John a wonderful holiday season!
Donna, your sweet story is such a tribute to the strength that can be gained in a loving community. And it's obvious that Etsy is about so much more than selling things. I'm glad that we as a team (Etsy Treasury Team) could be there to support you through your loss of Lucy. Thank you for being brave enough to share this story with everyone. I think it has touched so many more people than you realize.
Sandie
I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my heart Blue this summer at age 8 to cancer. I still feel the pain of it when I go to bed at night. I ran out a couple months later and adopted a pound dog named Buddha who is now my best buddy sitting here. He is half chihuahua and half french bulldog and has lots of character. I never realized how hard it would be to lose a pet but now I do and I am sending big hugs to you..
Thank you for sharing your story. I am so sorry for your loss.
I lost my first pug, Max, when he was 8. He was my 'divorce puppy" and pulled me through a lot. I now have Theo, a crazy little 4 year old pug, who I was lucky enough to get from a shelter
Loved to read your story, Thank you for sharing.
I own 7 dogs.. So I guess I kinda understand your loss,
I'm so happy you had so many friends with you in that moment!
Mireille
www.mireillemanuel.etsy.com
this was so sweet and beautiful! I know how dear an animal can be to your heart and how hard it is to loose one. What a lovely sweet story! The world needs more Anna's and Lucy's! :-)
That post brought tears to my eyes. It's amazing how much animals can touch our heart :(
This is so sweet. I lost my bunny companion of 7 years earlier this year, I understand! I can still get myself to cry if I get to cruising down memory lane.
A wonderful post, I am glad you made friends who were there for you. There are some great people in the Etsy community.
It's an amazing story how her spirit lives on and continues to bring wonderful people into your life. Today we found out that our greyhound Ladybug may have cancer :( I am so upset but I know that you understand. I'm so glad Lucy's story was on the Etsy site
Beautiful, heartbreaking... I made my first sock pug to help a friend grieve as he had to put down his one year old pug. There is a large price we pay bringing pets into our lives. But so worth it as it is all about pure LOVE. Thank you for sharing your story.
Love Katarina
Image of my sock pug at:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/54820905/katarinas-post-street-sock-pug
Beautiful, heartbreaking... I made my first sock pug to help a friend grieve as he had to put down his one year old pug. There is a large price we pay bringing pets into our lives. But so worth it as it is all about pure LOVE. Thank you for sharing your story.
Love Katarina
Image of my sock pug at:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/54820905/katarinas-post-street-sock-pug
So sad for your loss, lost my big 4 footed friend of 9 years this summer and still really miss him. So good that you got such support from the Etsy teams, such a good supportive community to be part of.
That's a very touching story (glad I had a tissue)...
our dog is getting old and I dread the day he goes. So sorry for your loss, dogs are such a big part of our families. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry for the loss of your Lucy. I'm glad that you had caring people in the Etsy community to help you through an emotionally distressful time.
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