Pictured: Sam and Breizh, in 2009. Smokey's parents met and eloped in Marseilles. It is the most amazing story ever. A miracle! Please read "Chien Perdu" here. (But don't miss the update, below).
l'ouïe (wee) noun, feminine
: hearing
Related Terms & Expressions:
l'ouï-dire = hearsay, rumor
avoir l'ouïe fine = to have sharp hearing
avoir l'ouïe un peu dure = to be hard of hearing
être tout ouïe = to be all ears
à portée de l'ouïe = within hearing
les ouïes des poissons = fish gills
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Les cinq sens. Nos cinq sens sont les suivant: la vue, l'ouïe, le goût, l'odorat, le toucher. The five senses. Our five senses are the following: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse
To sharpen. I spoke about the French word aiguiser in a previous post, and was set to feature the verb today, when plans changed. It may seem like a strange word choice following the news about our dog's death–but then my senses seem sharper since Breizh passed away on Saturday.
With the past four days being cloaked in sadness, I began to wonder if grief isn't one of our 5 senses… but of course it isn't, as evidenced by the following list (quickly counted on my right hand, beginning with le pouce, or thumb).
- la vue (sight)
- l'ouïe (hearing)
- le goût (taste)
- l'odorat (smell)
- le toucher (touch)
No, grief is not a sense, but a stirrer of the senses, as we see in these examples:
LA VUE – SIGHT
Soonafter our 9-year-old golden retriever passed, I saw something alarming, quelque chose I had never before noticed. Smokey, Breizh's 6-year-old son, was sporting a silver barbe, or beard.
I remember the day, not three months ago, that I saw Breizh's gray mustache (or was it white?)–after someone pointed it out to me. And I wonder, how many more things–evident, present, glaring–are we not seeing?
L'OUIE – HEARING
J'entends. I hear a whistle in Smokey's breathing, one that wasn't there before. It is le souffle of sadness and it sometimes terminates with un gros soupir.
Patting his soft, lopsided head, I murmur: Je sais, Smokey, je sais. Elle est partie, notre Breizh. Elle est partie. But it's okay. It is okay. All will be okay.
LE GOUT – TASTE
Food was tasteless, but my appetite returned on day two, arriving on a rumble of hunger pangs. But for Smokey, who lost his mama, it would be 5 days before he would show any interest in his croquettes–the sound of which used to make him do twirls in the air! This morning, no air-twirls, but he did wag his tail excitedly as I set down his bowl. His hunger had finally returned.
L'ODORAT – SMELL
Together, Jean-Marc and I buried Breizh before a field of sunflowers, in front of the laundry line where I go almost daily to dry our clothes. A wooden wine box doubles as a headstone and a shelf where we can set mementos–like the mug with Breizh's picture, which doubles as a vase.
This morning, while collecting escargot shells from the surrounding field, to set beside the vase of bougainvillea, I remembered Smokey's unusual behavior, when days before he strolled up to the grave and lay down beside it. He must sense she is here… I thought. Only to watch him walk off with half a cross!
Smokey! Bring that back! I called, hurrying up to him to retrieve the horizontal piece of the cross. Setting the broken tree limb back in place, over the grave, I stared at the cross I'd replaced. Death, it seems, has a sense of humor, too.
LE TOUCHER
Smokey's hair has never felt softer, and touching him has its effet tranquillisant. I wish I'd saved a lock of Breizh's hair. Then again, what would I do with it? Wear it around my neck? No! Like those small plastic envelopes holding my children's first teeth, it would be forever hidden in a shoebox, somewhere discreet.
MY INTERGALACTIC DOG
(These paragraphs were originally posted under the "sight" section, above. But I found a better example and needed to move this one somewhere else. The concluding section seems fitting.)
On the phone with my aunt, we were talking about the planet Pluto which has been making headlines lately. "It really makes you wonder how it all began. Consider the endless galaxies!"
My aunt's words queued my mind which now pictured a vibrant midnight blue outer space with rolling waves of silver stars. Suddenly a smiling golden retriever jetted right past me! There was Breizh, riding an asteroid the size of a basketball! My head got whiplash watching her streak past me, a line of sparkly stardust in her wake. I watched as she disappeared into the future (or the past?). Oh the mystery of where exactly she is, the spirit of our sweet, golden girl.
I had to share the image of a beaming Breizh transported through space– had to share the vision with my aunt, who very sweetly and politely responded, as if she, too, could picture that intergalactic dog of mine rocketing across the starry sky.
And it dawns on me now, clearer-headed days later, the delicateness that framed my aunt's sympathetic response. I hope to remember to react as she did the next time someone is grieving – to remember to see the intergalactic dog that is not. Nod your head wildly, utter your conviction – let her know that you see just what she sees… and so let her grieve.
* * *
Dear Reader, Thank you so much for your comforting words regarding Breizh. The empathy you shared, via the comments box and by email, helped to unblock further streams of emotion.
Here is the most recent photo of our golden girl. At the time I took the picture I did not know it would be the last, or I would have taken a thousand more. As it is, this image fills me with peace, representing, so sweetly, her ongoing journey.
Amicalement,
Kristi
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Tow of the senses listed the touch and the smell are switched in French.
This is a beautiful post that you wrote for your wonderful Breizh
Dear Kristin.
Beautiful… I wept anew.
We have all been grieving with you, each in our own way. And I wholeheartedly concur, we must never steal the visions, or dreams, of those who are dying– or grieving– for to do so would rob them of comfort and peace.
And the senses are heightened. We seem to become one with everyone and everything, more empathic as well as empathetic. This, too, is a God-given gift. You are wise to have recognized it.
So sweet of Smokey to give you a laugh just when you needed it. So like him– picking up where his precious mama left off– helping his masters along, even while he himself is grieving. She would be proud!
Fly on, Dear Breizh! our hearts go with you…
~Alisa
Sunflowers mean rebirth or regrowth…appropriate that your golden girl should be laid to rest among this field of golden giants…She now has been reborn as a spiritual being to streak among the planets and the stars…forever young. love bj
The very last picture shows Breizh departing for the Rainbow Bridge.
Dear Kristen,
I have followed your blog for a long time without commenting but do share in your sadness. My own sweet Golden is nine and white bearded and cranky in the hips but such a joy. We are so lucky to be able to share in and learn from their lives so rooted in the present moment.
Tears filled my eyes reading your descriptions of your Golden Girl’s passing, so very precious and heart moving, especially the last photo. A beloved family pet, Breizh, on her journey but never far from you .. love J xx
The loss of your Breizh touches us all who see your beautiful words and pictures. I hope to carry with me the image of coping with grief with such love, gratitude and serenity. Thank you, and I hope you see Breizh many more times…
This was one of your most touching posts. And still a great French learning lesson. I am just reading your book, Blossoming in Provence, and I realized that I do not take the time to thank you enough for your work. Please know that it is much appreciated. Merci beaucoup et bien amicalement, Lorraine Visovsky
Thank you so much, Lorraine. And thank you all for these tender and thoughtful words which have helped more than you can ever know.
So beautiful, as always. I, too, think I still hear or see my dear Millie around the house. The best dogs are forever with us. Glad to hear Smokey is eating again. And you, too.
Tears welled in my eyes- again- as I read your lovely post today. I will share a quote from Bridges…a small book offering hope for loss, grief and struggle.
she passed through so quickly…
just long enough to make me love her.
we had only touched the surface –
and yet, she is in my depths forever.
-Terri St.Cloud
So sad to hear of the passing of your beautiful girl. Enjoy all the wonderful memories of her with your family. She was a lucky dog to have such a great life with you all.Pauline K.
Thinking of all of you with love re the passing of your Breizh.Such a dear companion. Such dear memories, too.I am from the San Diego area, but have been in Basel, and now in Paris. I feel just as close to you when I am in Rancho Bernardo, CA. tho, but join you and others now with thoughts of love.
So sorry for your family’s loss. We were fortunate to visit you several years ago and to meet and fall in love with Breizh and Smokey. Breizh is forever all around you, in the sky, the earth, the wind, the stars and your hearts.
Such a beautiful expression of love and its connection with grief–using it to increase the capacity to love and be grateful. Much sympathy and thank you for the comfort you have shared with all of us who have lost our much loved dogs.
So touched, Kristi…..you really evoke the whole context of a treasured pet dying……A lovely post for all of us….who’ve been there as well. Thank you so much.
Breizh exiting the frame, but still very much in our hearts.
When grief/sorrow is so all-encompassing that it mutates our mind and senses for a time, it is a cloud that only true empathy can pierce and time and love can banish. Peace, love & hugs Kristi.
Dear Kristi, thank you for this wonderful post. Experiencing the loss of someone you are so close to, someone you love so much, can be depressingly dark ..and relentless. But for me the darkness of grieving has always been followed by an acute awareness of living, like walking from the deep shadows into beautiful sunlight. All your senses seem to be intensified in experiencing the beautify of life…the smell, touch and beauty of a rose, the song of a bird. Personally, I think it’s His gift to us…reassuring us, and our loved ones are telling us, not to worry, ‘tout va bien’. Bisous à tous.
Dear Kristi,
I’m so sorry. Thank you for writing so beautifully about such a sad event. I still grieve for my dear old Golden who radiated love and joy. He wagged his whole silky body when he was glad to see someone. I’m imagining Breizh and Noils young again and leaping through a field of milkweed on their way home. Sandra
Dear Kristin and family,
Puppy, mama dog, her own puppy – the images tumble into heart and memory. Intergalactic adventure dog, sweetness. Thanks for sharing your stories, your life. Rosalie, Colorado.
Smokey will be ok, but it will take time. I had two dogs at a time and every time the one left behind would howl when I was not at home. It went on with one for 3 weeks. And you will forever sense in your mind Breizh walking through the kitchen door or lay down by the sunflowers as you hang the laundry out. This is a good thing.
Please look at my FB page. I posted something the other day that I think you should see.
Hugs and more. Joie
Again. tears. It was over two years before I could handle replacing my black lab, Ajax. Now I have Sophie, she is three and I adopted her at 8 weeks. We know having a dog will be both joyful and painful.
Beautiful words – a lovely memorial to your beloved companion…
We lost our beautiful cat Tanaquil (Tani) in March & we still grieve. I was shocked to read about Breizh! I wish I could say it gets easier but it doesn’t. But I guess we settle into a kind of melancholic resignation – life & death, it’s just the way it happens… How lucky we are, though, to have had these extraordinary friends in our lives. xxx
When my dog Fletch died a friend sent me a link – a poem Jimmy Stewart wrote about his dog named Beau, he read it on the Johnny Carson show many years ago. It was only a week after Fletch had died and I was very sad, but it was such a comfort to hear Jimmy Stewart talking about his old dog with such love and warmth. I think it was somehow comforting to know he had felt just like me. That was 4 years ago. After reading your story this week I listened to the poem again, it still evokes the same feelings now. I’ve posted the link below.
Amazing how quickly your words and your photos get to the depth of our emotions. Another truly lovely post.
The only thing worse than losing a pup has to be never enjoying air twirls –
or in the case of my cockers – docked tails twitching like they are baby hippos
so delighted by life they could fly.
The little snips of fur are in a special box with their last collar and tag and stacks of never enough pictures of how beautiful, smart and funny they were. And what conversationalists!
Many thanks for your delicate writing.
Best regards.
Dear Kristi, so sorry for the loss of your sweet pup. I never understood until lately how much our furry children/grandchildren can become part of our family. I now “get it” because we have a greyhound grand dog and I do not look forward to the day when he is no longer around. I did recently take some comfort when I read that Pope Francis said he believed that we would see our pets in heaven. Looking into the eyes of our Gipper, I see a soul, albeit an animal soul. I offer you sympathy in your sadness…
Dear Kristin,
God is near to the broken-hearted and is concerned with what concerns us (even the death of a pet). My heart hurts with yours. You are so blessed to have such a discerning Aunt who could empathize with you right when you needed it and all of your well-wishers here 🙂
You are loved!
~Beth
I’m so so sorry for you and all the family. We all grieve, as we have gotten to know that sweet pup over the years! Comme d’hab, you have made it into a beautiful and inspiring story. xxoo, Lynn
Dear Kristi,
What a lovely missive you gave us today. I think we all share in your grief and in Smokey’s. I love how you related all of the senses to the grieving for Breizh. I am enamored with “Breizh in the sky with diamonds” as we always referred to our sweet Lucy as ‘Lucy in the sky with diamonds’ and I just know they are both blazing sky trails together up in Heaven! With love, Judi
So beautiful, so loving so well written and more wet running eyes. Endless appreciation and affection from this old very emotional man who feels within that his time too will come within the following two years. Hugs
My heart hurts for you and with you over your beautiful Breizh’s death. What a wonderful home she had with you. Your memories will be treasures.
Thank you, Kristen. I’ve been concerned for Smokey as I remember watching our cocker spaniel grieving when my mom died. My prayers continue.
Crying with you and sending many hugs to your family. My Yogi grieved almost a week for Manfred our Lhasa. I am so glad that Smokey is eating again. Still crying – must not have finished grieving Manfred for sure not Breizh. Kleenex and time are really good things. Here comes Yogi into my lap, kissing away the salty tears. Just like that, laughter replaces the sadness. thank you god for doggies.
The last picture you took of Breihz shows him starting his going away. This was a lovely tribute . May you find more and more things to smile and laugh about.
Breizh gave you the gift of herself in your lives and now you must give her the gift of leaving your lives. You will meet again.
She is now in her forever home.
I love this photo of breizh and sam. i linked back to read chien perdu. it’s a wonderful story.
What a moving and loving story. Tugged at my heart. I do believe you saw Breizh, and that will bring you comfort as well. It takes time but you, Smokey and the family will heal.
Dear Kristi….I am so sorry to hear about your sweet dog. All they give us is love and joy. It creates such a large hole in our hearts. She was a beauty and I am so glad you got to spend your days with such a golden-y dear companion.
Kristen ,
You have an amazing gift to be able to capture emotion and put it on a page. Never stop using your gift!
I so appreciate your wonderful soul!
Thank you!
Randy
bonjour: your words so touch the heart. This, too, is a sense, but not a sense in the meaning of sense. The feeling that is evoked is empathy, warmth, familiarity, compassion. I, too, saw that fleeting star; I thought it was my long-gone cat, Dorsey. A biento. Ann
A caption for your last picture of Sweet Breizh could be:
“I am going to walk down this path over here, just outside of your view, but I’ll still be out here in the garden. Come and talk with me soon, I’ll be here to listen, and to understand, and to love you. And I’ll save you a special place in heaven, where we’ll be together forever and always.”
Tears run down my cheeks as I see the last photo of Breizh. Saying goodbye to a joyful and loyal dog
is so heart wrenching. Thank you for including us
in your journey. May you and Smokey help each other
through the grieving process. What a gift those 9 years were!
Katherine
Really enjoyed this posting on our senses. One to re-read often. Thx for sharing.
Nancy
Beautiful love story between Sam & Brezih. Smokey absolutely knows where her mother is. Your story is reminiscent of all the animal/people stories I heard when I worked with a local Hospice…these stories give me great peace & assurance about the great Mystery of all things. We all live in the world soul & this soul is within all of us, including animals and all living things.
A special hug to Smokey.
Kristi- Does your list of Rentals ever include towns in Languedoc area?
Have seen it listed as one of the less expensive areas to visit.
Nancy
Dear Dear Kristi,
My heart is heavy with your loss, but again, your words… are so expressive, and enlightens us with new words and phrases.
We are all mere mortals – even our pets, and the cycle of live moves on.’
Courage!
It will hurt, less and less.
Warm embrace
Kimberley