Celebration: The Antidote for Anticipatory Grief
Join us for this webinar in which Dr. H. Howells talks about how celebration can be a super-powered balm for anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief—whether our pets have been given a terminal diagnosis or we just know their days ahead are fewer than the days they've left behind—can be paralyzing. Once a family is starting to plan their pet's hospice or end-of-life care, that grief intensifies, and many people have talked to me about being paralyzed with dread upon setting an appointment for euthanasia or hospice.
Celebration seems counter-intuitive at this time, and many people need to be given permission to celebrate with their pets in their final days or months. But celebration is actually the most powerful antidote to anticipatory grief, when we choose to recognize and celebrate our pets as the treasures that they are, while we still have them. Making good last memories with our pets gives them joy. And, when it comes time to say goodbye, our acts of celebration bring *us* peace and closure, as we can rest in the knowledge that we used our time together well.
H. Howells, DVM, followed a winding path before becoming a veterinarian and coach. Prior to veterinary school, she had careers in teaching, music, and food service, and she also taste-tested a few other, unrelated jobs. After a decade in general clinical practice, experiencing burn-out and exhaustion firsthand, H. became deeply invested in fostering well-being for veterinary professionals. In 2018, she launched Agents of Change Coaching, doing health, life, and team coaching with a whole-person approach. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, she opened Peace Wings—her veterinary house-call hospice and euthanasia practice. These days, H. continues to build both practices while remaining active in Colorado's veterinary community. She is also a mom, an outdoors enthusiast, and an amateur cook who enjoys sharing food and wine with others. She is making more music and feeling more alive as she grows closer to living with balance.
