Dear Jack…
I am in the deepest grief and I am surprised how many of my friends just don’t seem to care.
This is one of the many things your pets come to teach. Many of you have found out who your truest friends are as you work through your grief. Who can you turn to? Are you surprised who is there? Are you surprised who is not? One of the things we teach you in our departure is to open your eyes to see Who Is Really There for you. Who loves and supports you through it all? This is a true friend. Meanwhile we still love you from the other side with a love that never dies.
Love, Jack
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About this letter
This letter is part of Jack McAfghan: Letters From Rainbow Bridge. In it, a reader writes in deep grief and is surprised by how many of their friends do not seem to care. Jack's reply reframes the experience: loss, he says, can show us who is really there for us.
The message in this letter
Jack invites readers to ask themselves who they can turn to, who has been present and who has not. He describes this as one of the things pets teach through their departure: to open our eyes to who truly loves and supports us through it all. The letter closes with the reminder that love continues from the other side.
If your friends do not understand
It is common for people who are grieving a pet to feel unseen by others. You may find support from a pet loss support group, a counselor, or friends who have lost animals themselves. Be gentle with yourself as you work out who you can lean on right now.
