Jeannessa walking Humphrey on Monterey State Beach
Walking home through my neighborhood today, I smiled at every stranger I passed as per my uszh. And today, every single person smiled back and it got me thinking about what it means to smile in the constant face of struggle. I keep coming back to a value I hold dearly: We don’t get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to choose how we respond. No matter how dark and unkind the world gets, I am committed to light and love. And so I will do my best to keep walking forward and smiling even when I’m faced with adversity.
Starting a memorial foundation for Jeannessa was pretty automatic for Kev and me. It just felt like the right thing to do from the very beginning. Hosting fun events to raise money and awareness to benefit animals in need in Jeannessa’s honor? Yeah, that’s my jam! You know what’s NOT my jam!? Spending countless hours on customer service with the likes of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Paypal, and on…! I could go on a very long rant on how these tech giants are complicating our lives more than benefitting us, as I’m sure you could too, but I’ll spare you. The point is that it is just another source of frustration that I can include with the justice system, family dynamics impacted by grief and trauma, a very depressed cat that is still (quite literally) pissed he has to share his home with Those Other Two Cats, getting access to Jeannessa’s Apple account, and of course, just plain missing my spunky girl.
With all of these crazy challenges on my plate, it’s hard for even me to believe that I get joy simply out of walking down the street and smiling at strangers, but it’s true! Human connection- even a fleeting moment with a stranger- is truly the anecdote for the struggles I’ve been facing. I’m filled with so much gratitude for each and every person who has contributed to that- in ways that are big or small, friends and strangers alike.
Aside from the corporate bullshit just mentioned, Jeannessa’s Friends is moving forward, one foot in front of the other. We are setting the foundation for long-term growth and working on plans to distribute funds as per our organizational goals. The next edition of our sold-out coloring book, Jeannessa’s 4-legged Friends, is in the works. Pretty soon we’ll host another large-scale event: we’re aiming for more live music, an annual 5k, and a pet fashion show in 2027 and beyond. In the meantime, we’ll be involved in events put on by other community groups.
Walk with us next Wednesday, October 21 at the YWCA’s Walk Against Domestic Violence & Remembrance Event: Walk. Prevent. Remember. A group of us will be there to hold space when they will read Jeannessa’s name, as well as too many others whose lives were stolen by domestic violence. If you are able to come, you are welcome to bring a picture of Jeannessa to carry.
On Sunday, October 25 we’ll shift to a lighter mood and walk with costumed pets parading down Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen for Howl-O-Ween! Bring your pet, visit our table along the route, and enjoy some pet treats (no tricks!). It’s sure to be a jolly, fun paw-ty! Please pop by and say hello!
In November, we have our Starbird restaurant fundraiser on Thursday, November 12. Then, the following Sunday, November 15, we’ll have a table Dogs Are Dope Day at Spark Social. For the music lovers/Deadheads out there, word on the street is that One Man Gone will be playing that afternoon at Spark Social, so you have another great reason to come out and join us!
Finally, as you can imagine, this is a lot of work and we need volunteers! If you can help out at our table, or help with prep like putting treat packages together, please let me or our savvy Volunteer Coordinator, Shelly Johnson, know. We also need help with longer term jobs like graphic arts, web development (SEO), and event planning. Doing this work to carry on Jeannessa’s passion, while challenging at times, has been extremely uplifting and meaningful. Please consider walking alongside us and sharing in these benefits!
