End-Of-Life Devotion

[Maylissa]

By choice, I barely watch the news much anymore, and the lives of celebrities don't normally garner my attention either. But while searching for something else, I happened upon this older story and wanted to share the sacredness of its message. I'm not even familiar with singer-songwriter Fiona Apple's work, but the depth of her character certainly shines through here.

Fiona had made the decision to abruptly cancel her tour (in 2012) and instead remain with her beloved dog, Janet, in light of her failing condition. Apparently, Fiona took some hugely insensitive and selfishly-motivated criticism for being true to her very primary relationship with Janet, putting their love and committment to each other well above her career. Yet thankfully, she also received at least 80,000 "likes" on FB for her "instant" decision.

I say her heart was exactly where it belonged, most certainly for Janet's sake, but also for her own. That's devotion -- deserving of being widely applauded and fostered, and particularly when it involves these deep connections to and with other animals.

You can read this touching story and her 4-page letter (fully transcribed; keep scrolling past the scanned portion) to her fans here. Tissues are advised:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/fiona-apples-defense-of-canceling-concerts-to-be-with-her-dying-dog/265573/#

[enna]

This is truly a beautiful story, Maylissa. Thank you for sharing it here. So many of us are animal lovers and we do understand the devotion and attachment of our pets.

Anne