Sid Korpi has combined her decades of varied professional experience — as an editor, writer, journalist, English teacher, actor, and legally ordained minister/animal chaplain — with her lifelong devotion to the animal companions who have blessed and shared her life in creating Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss. Surviving a “tsunami of loss” in her own life led to her discovery of spiritual truths that brought her strength and facilitated her heart’s healing. She felt compelled to share these things with others who suffer—often in isolation—from the passing on of their very dearest nonhuman friends, their pets.
She and her husband also teach beginning social dance through their home-based business Two Right Feet, where their motto is “Forget Fred and Ginger—We’ll have you dancing like Fred and Wilma in no time!”
This makes particularly good sense when one considers they have a Flintstones shrine in their basement.
Goodgriefpetloss's Blog 
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 30, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Danielle
Hi Sid,
I just stumbled upon your blog through an article on The Daily Tail. I found it at an especially appropriate time. I work with Fancy Cats Rescue Team in Fairfax County, Virginia and on Saturday, Nov. 28th, two of our volunteers suffered a tragic, unimaginable loss when their house caught fire.
Here is a link to some of the news coverage so I don’t have to recount all of the details here. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&suggest¬e_id=188249171863&id=92930868347#/note.php?note_id=188249171863
As you’ll read, Kristen & Mark were one of our bigger foster homes. They opened their home and their hearts to cats who had nowhere else to go. The kitties who lived with them were happy, healthy and spoiled rotten.
Kristen, especially, is, as you can imagine, devastated by the loss of their pets and foster cats. Seventy cats died in the smoldering fire and Kristen is now struggling with all of the feelings of guilt, anger and disbelief that go along with such a loss.
I realize that you may not have dealt with the loss of pets on such a large scale before, but I was wondering if you would be willing to provide some advice to us, her friends in rescue, so that we can support her through this terrible time. Also, would you be willing to chat with Kristen at some point, either by email or by phone?
Sincerely,
Danielle Denhardt
Member, Board of Directors
Fancy Cats Rescue Team
December 1, 2009 at 2:24 am
goodgriefpetloss
Danielle,
It is wonderful of you to want to reach out and comfort your friends Kristen and Mark through this unspeakable tragedy. My heart breaks for them, as well as for the poor cats who lost their lives. I can’t imagine a worse thing to have to face. I recently counseled a woman who’d lost her three dogs and a cat in a house fire, but, alas, she’s still frozen in her grief and guilt feelings at present. She’s just not ready to release them right now. I continue to keep her in my prayers and thoughts, and that is pretty much all I can advise your staff of rescuers to do. Let Kristin know you’re all thinking of her and praying for her to get through this horrific test of her spirit. Offer to be there for her to provide her with distraction: take a walk, go to a movie, take a class, etc. whatever your shared interests might lead you to. Promise she won’t have to talk about the event unless and until she wants to, at which time you’ll be willing to listen and give her support. Sometimes silence and a hug is the best we can offer.
If she does open up, however, remind her that blame is strictly a human trait; animals don’t reason that way. They live strictly in the moment, even when it’s on the Other Side, so they’re simply enjoying new life free of all pain and fear. They will not be dwelling on what happened to their physical bodies in their recent life, so she need not beat herself up in any way. She never, NEVER would have purposely done this to them; she always gave them love and the best care she could. That’s what they’ll remember as they make their transition. If she is amenable to the idea, and not everyone is, I understand, I can give her a list of reputable animal communicators who may be able to contact these cats and confirm what I’ve said about their peaceful acceptance of their new existence.
In the meanwhile, just be her friends. Think, too, of things she might need done that she’s just not capable of right now. Buy groceries, bring food, offer to babysit (if applicable), mail bills for her, organize a candlelight vigil for the cats and invite the whole community, do a fund-raiser for her and her family, or collect pet food donations for a local food shelf, start a memorial website, etc.
That being said, I would be happy to reach out to Kristen, when and if she is ready, either by email or phone. I think she’ll need to initiate the contact, though, because until she feels prepared for that step, she won’t be able to hear anything anyway. Please let her know she can reach me either at proofpositive@tcinternet.net or at 612-822-0888.
Again, you all have my deepest sympathy. Just because I believe they are fine in their new state of being doesn’t mean I don’t understand the trauma they and she did go through.
Blessings,
Sid
February 17, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Kent Butler
I’ve just discovered you via The Daily Tail today – late, but I made it. Like to introduce Catnip Chronicles – a free, non-commercial, monthly felizine where we celebrate the joys and wonders of cats by informing and entertaining their humans. We’d be honored to reprint one of your articles on pet grief and plug your book. The menu at the top of our home page provides access to the current issue and archives. We’re also on Facebook.
Thanks for considering us.
Kent Butler (“Us” is 3 cats and me – I just don’t like speaking in the singular very much… 8>)
May 3, 2015 at 10:45 pm
Angie Golden
I stumbled upon your book ‘Good Grief’,along with your blog a few days ago. I ordered your book through your website, waiting to receive. Meanwhile I listened your radio interview about your book ‘Good Grief’. I had no idea before listening to the interview that you had wonderful westies. I felt a connection after hearing of your loss of two of your Westies. I lost my westie ‘Rylie’ ten months ago, which is the love of my life. It is so hard having to accept! Everything said in your interview is what I feel, even me seeing him for a moment through another westie. I wanted to take the time to thank you for writing your book and am looking forward to reading it.