
By India McCarty
HGTV’s Jenny Marrs recalled a previous encounter with someone grieving a beloved pet as she and her family navigate their own grief following the death of their dog, Dolly.
“I happened upon an old post today. Almost 10 years later, as our family continues to walk in the sorrow of saying goodbye to our Dolly (bless Banana she is so lost without her sidekick), this one hit home in a fresh way and I thought it was worth sharing again,” she wrote on Instagram.
Marrs recalled being “frustrated and frazzled” at the vet’s office, then seeing “an older gentleman, clutching an older, graying dog tightly to his chest.”
She initially didn’t want to bother him but eventually approached the obviously-upset man and “gently offered my deepest condolences.”
“For the next fifteen minutes, my littles and I had the great privilege of hearing this man’s stories — we learned about his best friend,” Marrs wrote. “He was saying goodbye after fourteen years together. He spoke with a cracked voice and tears flowed freely from each of us. I prayed with him and we shared hugs and more tears.”
The man was eventually called back into the office, and Marrs “left that office with puffy eyes and tears continuing to stream, my heart fully aware of the life lesson tucked within this experience.”
“I’ll likely never see that gentleman again this side of eternity, yet, he impacted my life today profoundly,” she continued. “I was allowed into his tender grief and reminded of the significance of slowing down and offering compassion.”
Marrs concluded, “Keep your hands open, friends. You never know what holy encounter you will enter into today if you allow yourself to listen to the still, small voice instead of the lies to simply mind your own business.”
Marrs shared the news of Dolly’s passing in July, writing, “The pain is too raw right now to properly convey how much Dolly has meant to our family. She was our family. She will never be forgotten. The tears we’ve shed are insignificant compared to the joy she gifted us with. We would say yes a thousand times over despite the inevitable heartbreak of goodbye. She was absolutely worth it.”
Related: ‘Pain Is Too Raw’: Marrs Family Mourns a Death
In another post, Marrs thanked fans for their kind messages of support, adding, “Every dog owner knows how much our four legged babies mean to us.”
“From living in a kennel to becoming a beloved TV pup and gracing the pages of my book…Dolly’s life is proof that it doesn’t matter where you came from, you are worthy of love and you can make an big impact on so many hearts,” she continued. “We’ll always miss our girl and we’ll always be thankful for the beautiful years we had together. She loved us so well.”
The Marrs’ family loss is one that pet owners know too well, and her recent post demonstrates the importance of slowing down and offering compassion to others.
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