She wears black. Always. As it turns out, death was not the end of her story. Chapter six.
There were differently inked pens so it was clearly something her mum had been picking up and putting down for months if not years. Notes for her grandkids and friends, things that she wanted to tell them and phone numbers of people to be contacted. I called one night. Just to check in. One night, she called to have a cry with me. “I have mum’s book and I can’t put it down” she said.
I was unusually quiet and she asked what I was doing. She seemed annoyed at my silence so I gathered my pink robe around me and put down my pencil for a minute. I said “I’m drawing ideas for a book like your mum’s. This should be everyone’s story and everyone’s gift. It’s a template for death and a whole bunch of issues that people can’t or won’t talk about.” “It is useful” she sniffed and I could almost see her turning over the book in her hands before tucking it into the pocket of her black dressing gown. (I have not seen it but I am pretty sure it’s black). So together we created a journal called Last Writes. It has prompts and space for people to write their wishes, dreams, triumphs, regrets, practicalities, and, well, just silly stuff too.
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️