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The Oliver Project

@_theoliverproject_

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Processing grief through a love story; from the beginning, recalling a lifetime with a dream come true, my Oliver 2007 - 3.3.2023
❤️💫🐕🐾🌈🐶🌈🐰🌈

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When the exterminator shows up and the class pet has been left behind..

Sweet Oliver, this is a sweet, simple memory from September of 2014. You are not in the video, but I remember you going crazy when I brought Maxx home for the night. Pretty sure I had to trap you in a bedroom on the opposite side of the house to get audio without your vocalizations. Maxx might have been fine, but I wasn’t going to let anything happen to him on my watch and I had a fun time watching and listening while he ate parsley.

He was only an overnight guest so your life wasn’t too disrupted. I miss you and all our adventures together so much, my sweet furry friend ❤️‍🩹

#petloss #petmemories #guineapiggies #munching #guinepigmunching #souldog #pawprintsonmyheart #rainbowbridge #loveofmylife by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

Transformation, the end of an era, lost in memories… August 2014

Sweet Oliver, these were moments of us learning and accepting our new life. Our family was broken, our future was being rewritten, but we still had each other, the house and the yard (oh this was a glorious yard). In attempts to make sense of the changing landscape of my world and navigate grief, I was over on a neighbor’s porch one night and looked up to see the biggest dragonfly I’ve ever seen in my life. I wish I would have taken a picture that gave a true representation of the size, but it was at least as big as my hand, if not larger. It was profound enough that I searched dragonfly meaning and found that they represented change, new beginnings, transformation. And it struck me that there could not be a more accurate description of what I was going through and how appropriate it was for me to have the largest dragonfly I’ve ever seen come to me.

When my now ex-husband left, I was working part time with children with autism at a preschool and immediately sought extra hours there while looking for a job that provided more financial stability and working to clear out the guest bedrooms so that I could find roommates to help with the mortgage and bills.

There was so much to be done, and there was no choice but to keep moving. In my spare time, I was immersed in Al-anon, tried to help out some with my dad and spent as much time as I could with you, the bunny and the cat. These days blur together, somehow, putting one foot in front of the other, we made it though. This is much like the time I’ve just traversed losing you.. somehow putting one foot in front of the other, I’m making it though.

I’m so sad that you are no longer a part of my physical world, but am so very grateful for you, your spirit, your love and the memories. I love you and miss you beyond words, my sweetest friend ❤️‍🩹

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petmemories #missyoueveryday #souldog #loveandloss #bittersweet #lettinggo #gratitude #acceptance #transformation #change #newbeginnings by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.”
― Steve Maraboli

Sweet Oliver, this was us in Colorado, August of 2014. My then husband was in treatment for his prescription drug addiction, this was family weekend. My expectations for this weekend were drastically different from the reality. I had hopes of rebuilding and repairing our marriage (this was my denial), but it wasn’t about our relationship, he was very sick and this was about how I was going to begin to gather the strength to move forward without him. I remember spending a lot of my free time out of the group sessions walking and sitting alongside this creek with you. These last photos are from a drive through Rocky Mountain National park realizing this would be the last scenic drive we would ever take together. These drives had dotted the landscape of our relationship for the past decade. I remember fighting back the tears searching where I had gone wrong, what I did, mourning the death of a dream, mourning the hopes and plans that would never come to fruition as I took a selfie with the mountains in the background. While I hated it more than anything, I knew I was going to have to let go, that I would have no choice. And, indeed, a few weeks after family weekend he returned home to move out. That was a tough time, I was devastated but had to be stronger than ever and work hard to make my life work without him. You were there and pivotal during this time. You kept me moving and gave me a reason to do the work and I’m forever grateful for that love, purpose and companionship. There’s not a single day that goes by that I don’t think of you and miss you. I imagine you constantly by my side in spirit and will forever hold you in my heart. I love you my sweet Angel, and always will ❤️

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #souldog #loveandloss #denial #lettinggo #addiction #gratitude #acceptance by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

Cat Instincts 😹

You can take the cat out of the wild but not the wild out of the cat.

My sweet fur angels, this was July 25th, 2014 and an adorable little memory. I was hearing strange sounds coming from the kitchen and came upon this scene. Definitely a treasured moment. Thank you for all the smiles, love, joy, and laughter🤍🤍🤍

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #adoptedbyacat #carlife #cutiouscat #gratitude #cutethingscatsdo #catmischief by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

“Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories.” –Ronald Reagan

Sweet, beautiful souls, this is such a lovely memory; a bunny, cat and dog all sharing my bed is truly the stuff my childhood dreams were made of. There were so many struggles in my life at this point; I was beginning to accept that my marriage was reaching an end, that my sweet 11 year old bun bun likely didn’t have a lot of time left in this world, that my father was not going to recover from his mental decline and that my mother had a gambling addiction which was negatively impacting her quality of life. In other words, I was beginning to accept the reality that my entire support system was crumbling. However, I had these precious moments that brought happiness and joy to an otherwise daunting and dark time… you 3 kept me smiling, made me feel loved and gave me hope❤️‍🩹

While I’m sad that you now only exist in spirit and my memories, and I’d give anything to have you all back alive and healthy, I am so very grateful that you were there, that you did exist and that you were a part of my life for these moments in time. Thank you for being there and loving me, thank you for the memories ❤️‍🩹

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #griefjourney #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #soulbunny #adoptedbyacat #gratitude #acceptance by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

Time will eventually break your heart, it leaves nothing untouched. Lifetimes go by so fast, savor the moments and all the preciousness that they contain before it’s too late.

My sweet Oliver, this was me July 5th, 2014 capturing some moments of our sweet senior bunny companion who found his way to my heart in the Spring of 2003. He was now 11 and facing his second surgery in a year. I was beginning to realize our time could be limited and wanted to soak up as much of his sweetness as I could. You were likely asleep on a fluff pile behind me. As I go through this memory, I can feel the sadness of this moment, trying to savor the sweetness of life when I knew it was limited, just as I did with you when your body started to fail you.

Oh my sweet Angels how I’ve cherished your preciousness in my life and wish we didn’t have to say goodbye. I will love you and miss you forever 🐕🐾🌈🤍🐰🐾🌈🤍🐶🐾🌈🤍

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #griefjourney #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #soulbunny #gratitude #acceptance by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

Oh to hold you again ❤️‍🩹

My precious Oliver, this was us in June of 2014, somewhere in Encinitas, CA after the conclusion of the mediation retreat in Carlsbad. It feels like yesterday I was stoping to pose with you for this photo, but it was so long ago. While I have a full life filled with wonderful people, you were consistently the greatest joy of my life for so many years and moving on is hard. You’ve been gone from this world for 144 days now. It’s been 144 days since I’ve held you, kissed you, snuggled you, rubbed your silky soft ears, looked into your precious eyes. And life is different now, I have a constant undercurrent of heartbreak, which I try to cherish with gratitude as a remnant of you, but sometimes it’s just sadness and a longing for the days when you were happy, healthy and full of life, a longing to hold you, kiss you, snuggle you..

I love you and miss you, my sweet boy ❤️‍🩹

#furbaby #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #griefjourney #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #gratitude #acceptance by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” — Helen Keller

Sweet Oliver, this was June 2014 at the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, CA. To many looking in from the outside this was a time of light, yet the struggles were continuing to mount. Actually, every person we met on this trip was on the precipice of significant hardship and change and trying to pick up tools to cope.

We were there primarily in attempts to help my now ex-husband detox from saboxone after him using that to detox from opiates. I had my struggles as well which were exacerbated by the surfaced addiction issues with him. I was so grateful to have you with me and to participate in their Ayurvedic meditation retreat; seeds from this time would prove to serve me for years to come. Meditation had become a daily practice to me at this point. I vaguely remember mornings sitting in the floor in meditation and feeling your little nose in my fingers. The practice taught me to ignore those, I remember smiling at times at at others being more frustrated because it was hard for me to ever ignore you.

I love you and miss you, my sweet boy, and always will ❤️‍🩹

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #griefjourney #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #gratitude #acceptance #meditation #recovery by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

How did this happen?

My sweet Oliver, another big change in the Spring of 2014 was that we were adopted by a neighborhood cat….. A lot of my spare time in these days was spent working in the yard and, often, I would be visited by this friendly orange cat. In the beginning, I tried to chase him out of the yard to protect the rabbits and squirrels; however, my attempts were futile and we became yard friends.

One late snowstorm in 2014, he showed up meowing at the back door… so…. being the animal lover I am, I let him in…. There was a number to a vet on his tag, who then put me in contact with his guardian. The conversation went something like this “That’s Zen, he’s a wanderer. If you want to adopt him, let us know and know that he will wander”. I had no intentions of adopting a cat that had a home so I replied “I’m not going to adopt him, but if you can’t find him, keep my number, he might be at my house”.

I’m not quite sure at what point I started feeding him or when I bought a liter box, but from 2014 until we moved in the spring 2017 Zen, who we also called Velcro kitty and Murder cat, would show up faithfully almost every day when I got home from work and stay the night.

You weren’t quite sure what to think of him, he had about 8 pounds on you and, at times, liked to play a little aggressively. I always monitored and came to your rescue if it looked like you weren’t having fun.

Zen aka Velcro kitty aka Murder cat is probably the coolest cat I’ve ever met. These were difficult times and I absolutely believe he was sent or drawn to us to help love us through them. As I visit this memory, I think about how very blessed I was to have so much beauty, companionship and love surrounding and supporting me; and I’m forever grateful for that🤍

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #griefjourney #petgrief #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #catadoption #coolcats #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #soulbunny #soulcat #gratitude #predatorsandpreylivetogetherinharmony #notyourtypicalgardener #loveistheanswer by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”– Frances Hodgson Burnett

My sweet Oliver, it’s now been a little over 4 months since you left this physical world, I think about you and miss you every day. I knew your loss would be hard, but I didn’t realize what that meant. I guess that’s what I’m learning now, how to have such immense love and gratitude for what was and carry that loss forever.

In going through memories, I’ve reached the spring of 2014 and there was so much change. My now exhusband was trying to recover from addiction to prescription drugs, I was helping my dad rebuild after a debilitating mental issues and my mom was having some difficulties and sold my grandmother’s home; a home that saw me through my entire childhood and adult life up until that point. During this same time, my precious Bunny, your older brother was turning 11 and having health issues. We were in and out of vet offices and surgeries with him. While I did everything to keep him here with us, I knew that his time was limited. This post is dedicated to both you and our sweet Bunny friend of so many names (Sterling, Heffy, Fatso, Fluffy) I love you both and am so grateful for all those sweet precious years full of love that you gave me 🤍🐰🐕

The flowers in the garden, especially the peonies, were spectacular this year. I like to think of these gifts from the ground as my grandmother smiling down on me from the beyond, peonies were always her favorite.

“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.” -Leonard Nimoy.

#furbabies #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #griefjourney #petgrief #dogsofinstagram #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #bunniesofinstagram #bunnnies #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #soulbunny #acceptance #gratitude #peonies by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

💛 Oliver and Tiffany 💛

How do you think this Story end? You are right, it doesn't!!!

A Love to Remember Story has no end, it is forever 🌈

I see the world in bright colors, many many colors and somehow that helps me to cope with the hard parts of being human, such as loss of who we deeply love and care 🫂🐾

This video translates a little bit of how I see @_theoliverproject_ 🩵

How do you all feel watching Oliver's video? I would love to know 🥰

#alovetoremembercollection #petlosssupport #rainbowpet #rainbowdog #colorfulpetportrait by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago

Our soul animals fill our lives with magic and leave behind such beautiful memories, but also great emptiness.

My sweet Oliver, this was February of 2014, a family trip to Anna Maria island. I had envisioned lovely walks on the beach with you, but, as with all water, you were not a fan of the ocean. So much not a fan that you couldn’t get far enough away. You were much happier lounging by the pool and on the couch. We did enjoy lovely walks around the neighborhood and relaxing together on vacation. Even though the ocean piece was a bit anxiety provoking, I’m so grateful for this memory of us vacationing together. I miss you so very much, my sweet little bug, and hope you feel my love wherever you are. Loving you and missing you always, my precious Angel 🤍

#furbaby #petloss #rainbowbridge #foreverloved #griefjourney #petgrief #dogsofinstagram #pawprintsonmyheart #rescuedog #petlosssupport #petsofinstagram #petmemories #missyoueveryday #loveofmylife #souldog #acceptance #gratitude #familyvacation #notabeachdog by @_theoliverproject_

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3 years ago