SARAH RONALD

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST

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Happenings
Newsletter

Portfolio
About
Contact
Happenings
Newsletter

Sarah Ronald

Port Coquitlam, BC

Canada

We Were Here

Walking through our daily lives, we know there’s more than what meets the eye.

Sometimes we don't know what we're longing for until it shows up in our lives.

Suddenly everything seems to align and make more sense.

Maybe it’s a caregivers’ instinct, or maybe it’s more about companionship, or maybe it's a bit of both…

We had a strong bond from the very beginning.

And we set out on our great life adventures together.

You noticed everything, and you responded fully to the world you experienced. You taught me to tune in to life as it happened all around us. We watched in awe as the natural world revealed its profoundness.

We continued learning about the world and looking to each other for cues of what the other was thinking. ⁠ We were always mindful of the animals around us and absorbed the changing sights, sounds and smells that caught our attention in the moment. ⁠

When we got to a certain age we started to focus on our home more. We needed to start preparing for less outer movement, and more inner movement.

We focused our attention towards our inner life, and soon came to understand that all the things we loved from our outside adventures, were also present in our smaller inner adventures - we just hadn’t really noticed them before.

But soon our biggest inner journey was upon us. You let me know that your time was coming and soon you would have to leave this life. In the joy of our companionship, I had allowed myself to believe that we would always be together, that our incred

As you continued your physical journey, my reverence for your spirit grew. And I began to see that you were so much more than my canine companion. Words fail, but in my soul I knew our bond was stronger than death.

When I felt your paw slip out my hand for the last time the sorrow was unlike anything I had felt before. Like a phantom limb, or missing twin, no human could console me, not even close.

A flood of emotions overtook me and my strength was paper thin, so I let the feelings wash over. I remembered that you taught me to respond to what was happening in the moment. ⁠I experienced that first 24 hours without you, moment by moment; every

As I bawled into your bedding, something incredible happened: one of your hairs went in my mouth. A momentary distraction, yet as I picked it out I suddenly realized that you were actually all around me still, you were simply taking a different for

And so I started back out on the journey with the other animals, feeling part of you and of them. I stayed open to learning in unfamiliar ways from the world around me and within. I felt connected to everything and understood that life and energy co

And then one day, while lost in all of these thoughts, something unexpected happened… something that I hadn’t known that I was longing for.

A new companion appeared. And in an instant I knew that this is exactly what was supposed to happen in my journey. That just as you were present in the life all around me, you were also present in this new companion.

With a deep embrace came a recognition that all of the layers of experience were imperfectly perfect. I understood that I had finally let myself become part of it: no longer observing and learning the lesson, I became part of the flowing river and t

With this new level of being in the world, I began to notice all of the other beings who were on their own unique journeys.

All of the animal people in their various stages of caring, loving and sharing with another species. I found myself wishing that all animals with human companions could break through the barriers and communicate fully with their loved ones, just as

Every visit to the park. Every moment inside the forest. Every home big or small. Let us tune in to every glance, every nudge, every stage of life. ⁠ Every single animals’ energy communicates something vital that needs to deepen. Whether it’s about

A drawing series honouring pets who have come and gone from the pack, 2020. Select an image to read the story. Click here to read the inspiration for this series.