Lehigh Valley Ledger
September 2026
The Love for Our Pets Spreads through Our Community
Three years ago, our beloved border collie, Skeeter, crossed over the rainbow bridge. This was our first family pet together and for anyone who has a dear furry friend, you know how challenging it can be to navigate that type of grief. Because our 3 children were young at the time and this was their first big experience with grief, I wanted to provide everything I possibly could for them to process this. For me, writing is a potentially beautiful way to express your thoughts and feelings. I appreciate the belief that whoever needs to read the message, it will find the way to them. One of reasons why I love the opportunity to write for the Valley Ledger is because of that. One small message can travel farther than we know, helping more people than we can think of. What a beautiful way to connect with others in the community. After Skeeter had passed, I offered an option for my boys to illustrate pictures of him for a book that we can share with other families to help them through their grief too. One of the concepts of our book is the belief that the love we have for our pets live on long after they cross the rainbow bridge. Our memories, stories, photos, and love that we pass along to other people and animals in need. Our world in general needs more love and sometimes it might feel easier to share that feeling with a pet than a person.
This Saturday, September 12 from 10a-12pm, we were invited by the Center for Animal Health and Welfare to attend a grand reopening event at Homestead Kennels & Cattery in Nazareth. We welcome you to stop by the event and at our table, we would love kids and their families to write their own story and draw pictures of their beloved animals to and to our “Share the Love” board for our community to view.
If you are unable to attend the event but would like to purchase our book, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Center for Animal Health and Welfare. Here is the direct link to our book on amazon: Skeeter Saves the Day: Holding on to Love While Letting Go of Your Beloved Pet: Alercia, Victoria: 9781958711804: Amazon.com: Books
More information about the event can be found on the facebook page for Center for Animal Health and Welfare.
Sending you Light and Love,
Victoria Hope Alercia-Casella
Licensed Professional Counselor
Student at Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Direction
