Losing a loved one, either human or animal, is one of the hardest experiences you’ll face in life. To help keep the memories alive many of us like to have a physical reminder to keep close at hand, something beautiful and meaningful that contains the essence of a friend departed.

Davenport Memorial Glass specializes in just these kind of physical reminders, creating memorial pieces that infuse a small quantity of a loved one’s ashes with stunning glass works of art. The pet paws are particularly popular and are small enough for you to carry a little piece of your beloved cat or dog with you wherever you go.

“Our goal is to physically capture a moment, to create a keepsake that brings back a memory,” Davenport writes on their website.

While pets make up a huge part of our lives, there is no formal custom when it comes to memorializing them. If pet lovers decide to do anything at all, most will choose to bury their furry friends. Pet cemeteries with gravestones and statues exist, and people can choose to bury or cremate their pets there, just like we do for humans.

However, if you don’t have a pet cemetery nearby and feel that perhaps a formal burial is too much, Davenport’s memorial pieces offer a tasteful alternative. You just need to get a small spoonful of ashes and send them to Davenport by post. You could also get a paw-imprint pendant.

“About 10 years ago I lost a good friend. I was given a small spoonful of his ashes that I had just set on my bookshelf for a number of years.” Cameron Davenport, the man behind the business told Bored Panda.

“One day it came to me, and I decided to make him into a marble. There were quite a few friends that thought this was a neat idea and asked me to make them some memorial glass as well. It sort of just snowballed after that.”

The job comes with a portion of sadness for Cameron, as many of his customers are still in a grieving process. Cameron takes the time to make a personal connection with his customers, so he often hears the background behind the requests for custom pieces. “I get a ton of sad emails and often need to take breaks from reading,” he said.

“They love the work I do for them and the meaning behind it. As each day goes on, I become more and more grateful for the people in my life and the time I get to spend with them. Doing this type of work really highlights the love in my life.”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【纪念品】jìniànpǐn keepsake something that one keeps because of the memories it calls to mind

【快速增长】kuàisù zēngzhǎng snowball increase, accumulate, expand, or multiply at a rapidly accelerating rate

失去所爱，无论是人还是动物，都是人生中最艰难的一段经历。为了留住关于逝者的回忆，许多人都想拥有一个触手可及的实物纪念品，包含逝者精华的美丽而有意义的纪念品。

达文波特玻璃纪念品公司专营这类实物纪念品，用少量逝者骨灰做出美丽的玻璃工艺纪念品。其中宠物爪子玻璃纪念品特别受欢

迎，而且体积小便于携带，无论你去哪里，都可以带上你心爱的猫或狗的一小份骨灰。

达文波特公司在网站上写道：“我们的目标是用实物纪念品来留住瞬间，唤起回忆。”

尽管宠物占据了人们生活中的很大一部分，在纪念它们的时候却没有正式礼仪可遵循。如果宠物爱好者决定纪念宠物，多数人会选择把死去的宠物埋起来。人们可以把宠物埋在有墓碑雕像的宠物公墓里，也可以火化，就像对待死去的人一样。

但是，如果你家附近没有宠物公墓，或觉得正式的葬礼太夸张了，达文波特的纪念品是一个有品味的替代方案。你只需将一小勺骨灰邮寄给达文波特公司，就能定制玻璃纪念品。除了宠物爪子玻璃工艺品，你还可以定制爪印吊坠。

公司老板卡梅伦●达文波特告诉Boredpanda网站说：“大约十年前我失去了一个好朋友。我得到了他的一小勺骨灰，我把骨灰在自己的书架上放了好几年。”

“有一天我忽然灵机一动，决定将他的骨灰做成玻璃珠。不少朋友认为这主意不错，并请求我也帮他们做一些玻璃纪念品。后来这个生意就越做越大。”

这份工作给卡梅伦带来了一些伤感情绪，因为他的许多客户在定制纪念品时仍沉浸在悲伤中。卡梅伦会花时间来和客户建立情感联

系，因此他经常会听到客户定制要求背后的故事。他说：“我的电子邮箱收到了一大堆悲伤的信件，我在读信的过程中经常要停下来缓缓，因为太难受了。”

“客户们喜欢我为他们做的纪念品以及纪念品背后的含义。一天天过去，我越来越感激我生命中的人，越发珍惜和他们一起度过的时光。这工作让我更珍视所爱的人。”

(Chinadaily.com.cn)