I'm a 39 year old female living in Scotland and i also have a lot of trouble coming to terms with Steve's death.My 17 year old son asked me about Bindi's speech for her dad and i had to show him it on the internet as when i tried to tell him what she had said i broke down in tears.I have also been very unbearble to live with since his death on Monday 4th September it was very shocking and tragic.So don't feel bad because your still grieving so am i and there are a lot of others like us.
While I often shook my head in amused, even bemused, disbelief at some of Mr. Irwin's antics, I still come away with great admiration for him and his mission. Steve Irwin was passionate about life. I don't believe a day went by that he wasn't doing exactly what he wanted to, what he believed he was born to do. His mischievous, adventurous nature appealed to both Australians and Americans – he was game for anything, it seemed, and we admired him for that. His critics didn't agree with his tactics, but surely they have to admit that he taught us to respect and appreciate rather than fear all creatures, even the less than cuddly ones. He wasn't afraid to admit his mistakes or his vulnerabilities. As a result, he was not just an exciting entertainer, but an effective teacher. And his exuberance was infectious. Here was a man who was high on life, not adrenaline. He seemed to take delight in even the simplest things, something I think we all could benefit from on occasion. But what makes me admire him most of all is how he obviously felt about his wife and children. One had only to look at candid photos of the Irwin clan to see the great joy and love shining through his twinkling eyes and his smile as he gazed upon his family. As I observed the memorial service, I was struck by the self-assuredness and fearlessness of dear, sweet Bindi as she offered her very touching eulogy of her daddy. I believe he would be enormously proud of her. He seemed like a genuine man and a genuinely nice one at that. I can't imagine the sadness, the shock, the pain that his family feels, but I hope they can find some comfort in the fact that his all-too-short life was packed chock-full and that he made – and will continue to make – a difference in how we conduct ourselves in respect to our own ecosystem. I wish I could be so brave.
I still can not believe he is gone !! I have yet to show my daughter who idolized him she is now 7rs old the memmorial they gave him. I know she is having a tough time as I am sure all the children are . Her favorite video of him still is wiggly safari. We are lucky enough to have animal planet to show us so many sides of steve and his life. I guess he showed us so much of his soul to the world that we felt more like one of his family and not just someone watching tv. He brought you closer to nature but not only that he brought us closer to our children and giving us all a common bond . He probably is the reason why we have a fish pond which we just built outside this summer ans well as a turtle which my daughter loves to feed him he does thsi amazing jump out of the water to grab his food like a croc it makes you feel like your steve and also a dog and cat as well as snakes our back yard has all varieties. I would have to say before he came along we would not have givin a snake or a bug another thought. I have found that because of him we take the time to watch the hawks hunt in our field and we listen and watch nature all around us. I thank the Irwin family and Zoo staff for all they have done for us . We may not have known steve yet he opened his soul for us to share. Our hearts are heavy and are prayers go out to you.Auburn MA USA
Well here I am again trying to find some comfort and posting to this forum for the third time. Once again I want to thank Animal Planet for this forum. It gives all of us a chance to work through our grief together, knowing that we are not alone in our sorrow, knowing that there are millions of people who have been effected just like we have by the loss of such a genuine and special person. This forum has given me the chance to grieve with others that can relate to what I am feeling. So many of my friends do not get it. They do not understand why this has hit me so hard. Being able to read every post on this forum has helped me come to terms with my feelings and validate them to the fullest. I wonder if Terri and Steve's family and close friends have been on here reading our posts? I would really like to think they are because there have been some amazing things written by ordinary people whose lives were touched by Steve Irwin. I can't imagine the pain his wife and kids and family and friends have been experiencing. If this has hit us all this hard can you imagine what it feels like to all of them? If I was one of them and I read all of these posts I would take great comfort in knowing that their Steve rocked our world. That Steve was larger than life and impacted so many people, of all races, social and economic backgrounds. He was so genuine and kind and that jumped right out of our tv sets. We all feel as if we knew him. There has never been anyone in my life that has had such a positive impact on my life that I never met in person. As I said in my last post I have to believe that he is in the spirit world watching all of this and he is happy. He knows that all of us and especially his wife Terri and his kids and family are going through a rough time, but I have to believe that because he knows he will see their spirits again and he knows that he is ok and there is something bigger and better instore for us all, that he is ok with what we are all going through here on earth. I feel that he can watch his conservation message be taken to new hights and in death his crusade will pick up more steam. I am not a big fan of those people who talk to deceased relatives and charge money or perform thier feats on tv, but if I had one wish it would be for terri to somehow get some sort of validation from Steve that he is ok and for her to live her life here on earth and carry on his work, becuase she will be with him again in the next life. If we all truly knew that was so then we could be ok with death and such a horrible loss. I believe that Steve is up in heaven wherever that may be and he is taking care of the all the animals that have passed on. Steve Irwin was like a big kid. I say this with a smile on my face and mean it in the most complimentary way possible. I am 41 years old do not look my age nor act it. I really identified with the child in him because I am the same way about things I am passionate about and have been known to kiss my reptiles on the nose too As someone said in his memorial Service, he was not affraid to be who he was and did not try to put on any false tv persona. I think it was Russell Crowe who made this comment? Maybe that is why we all identified with him so much. He was himself and was a regular guy who loved what he did. I have seen every episode he has ever done and was hoping I would soon get to go to his zoo and meet him in person, even for a moment to simply say thanks mate. You have brought so much joy into my life. I do not have any kids but if I did their hero would have been you for sure. I would hope that I would also be their hero and that I could have been one fraction of the father that you were to Bindi and Bob. My life is better for knowing you through tv. I will get to your zoo in the next 2 years for sure. I will make it a sort of pilgrimage to pay tribute to a regular bloke who succeeded far beyond anyone's wildest imagination. I had always wondered about his education and had thought that he was simply a self taught naturalist that did not have any fancy degrees or formal training outside of real worl experience and through learning from his mom and dad. That is one thing that amazes the heck out of me. He proved that with enough dtermination and the passion of something so important to you, a person can accomplish anything, even their most wildest dream. He probably never imagined that his zoo would become what he has made it out to be and that pretty much everyone in the world would know his name and what he was all about. Just as Russell Crowe had said in the Memorial, he was headline news for a week and still is. Not bad for a zoo keeper alright. If you are reading this post Terri then I want you to know you and Steve were meant to meet and be together and you will be together again one day. Your husband's death has actually made me believe in a bigger purpose. He was such an amazing person that people like that do not just happen to turn out that way by accident. Some higher power brought him here to do what he did and there must be some reason why he was taken from you and the world so soon. I keep asking myself why? There are so many evil people and this world. Why would God take Steve when he has a family and has so much to give the world and the creatures on this planet that he loved so much? I believe there is a God and I am not an overly religous person. I grew up Catholic and turned to Christianity. I do not go to church every Sunday but I talk to God often. This has made me want to be a better person while I am on this earth and do my part for animal conservation as small as that may be. I have a dream of working with animals as a career and everyone who knows me says that I need to make that my career. I have been in computers for many years but it is not my passion. I am thinking about following my dreams and passion for wildlife and going back to school. Your husband lived his passion 24 - 7 and was such an inspiration to all of us. I am rambling on here but wanted to make the point that one day you will realize that he was ok for all the time you were apart and that you will never be torn apart again. I believe that and have only lost one loved one. My dad back in 1989. I talk to him every day and know he can hear me. Thank you for reading my post and I will continue to visit this forum quite often because it is a way to express my grief and a way to let Steve's family and friends know how their loved one has effected the life of someone far far away who they have never met. Without this forum I would have no way to express my sorrow and recive the validation that so many more people just like me feel the same way. It will take a lot of time but eventually I hope I can stop crying and can come to terms with this great loss. May God watch over you Terri as well as Bindi and little Bob. The world is mourning with you and although no words can ever ease your pain and bring back your Steve, I hope all of us on this forum have brought you some sort of comfort. Sorry my post was so long but I feel as if I have expressed everything I was feeling today. Stay strong Terri and have failth that Steve is watching over you and you will be reunited again one day.
Kevin Gilbert Phoenix, AZ
This message has been edited. Last edited by: boakeeper65,
I know what you mean. He was such an awesome man, and conservationist, he is the reason I'll probably go into that line of work. I want to help contribute as much as i can to the wild, just as he did. I really miss him, i cried all day when he passed away. I wish Terri, and Bindi and Bob, and all his friends and other family members the best. They are all in the WORLD'S thoughts!
i love all the poems that was wrote alot of them just realy chocked me up and i cryed.we wached the memorial service for steve and there was not a dry eye in the house.my son is soo worried that they are going to give up and not continue the show.he realy wants to see terri wes and bob take over for steve and well so do i.i was so proud of bindi for standing up there like that wow.i cant help but think of them all and pray for them that they will make it threw this.another thing that worries my son and us is i herd the news and i guess there are now alot of stingrays being killed and i know steve would not want this at all.i saw allso on ebay someone was selling peices of a stingray tail wich realy angered me as well as alot of others.i cant belive there are people out there that are killing the samething steve and them was trying to work on saveing and teaching us about them.
Isn't it true? This just blindsided all of us. I don't think any one of us really fathomed how it would affect us when he passed. I mean, I didn't know it would have this affect on me. I didn't realize how important he was to me.
Wow, Kevin...such a beautiful post. I feel the same way as you. I am 26 and a mother of three. I can't get over the loss of Steve. My husband thinks I'm crazy and everytime I try to talk to my mom about it, I cry to hard that I can't speak. I thought I was going crazy, but after reading all of these post....I take comfort in the fact I am not alone. With out the forum I don't know what I would do. I have loved Steve since the first time I saw him. His passion for wildlife was heart warming. I was amazed at how much he loved Terri and his children. I looked up to him in so many different ways. I will miss him more than I can explain. I cannot imagine what Terri, Bindi and Bob are going through. May God bless them.
You are not the only person that is having a hard time getting over Steve Irwin's death. I have cried everyday since he died. When I watched the memorial and Bob (Steve's dad) said stop grieving for Steve.....I took it to heart and decided the best thing to do was keep his passion alive by donating to Wildlife Warriors.
No, you are not alone. I am 46, a nursing professional in northeast Pennsylvania, USA, and I, too, feel the depth of his loss. I was also thinking that the last time I felt this way was when Princess Di died. Even last night I awoke and began thinking about Steve and cried. It's amazing how one individual can have such a powerful impact in this world and on each one of us. So what can we learn from Steve, from the way he lived his life? We,too, can rise to the challenge and connect with our passion and live to the fullest and best of our ability. This is the legacy Steve Irwin has left here for all of us. He is a powerful example for the rest of us. Each and everyone one of us can be a warrior to transform this world into a beautiful, peaceful, loving place for us all. If anyone would like some helpful information, you can e-mail me at rosecross@gmpexpress.net
I am 29 and have been crying since I heard the news on Sept. 4. Steve was a cheering crowd for me. Through my years getting my environmental degree and my communication degree so I could pursue a career like his, when I would get down or discuraged I would go on animal planet or come home and watch the croc hunter and I would have a new fire and my passion was reignited. In July of this year when I had to resign from my job in a state environmental protection agency, Steve was in my mind saying don't give up you have the passion, even though it has and still in some ways has left me, due to my bosses's harrasment of me and the nervous breakdown. But even during the 2 yrs that I endured that job I will turn to steve and Terri, the kids and Bob Irwin either though animal planet online or on TV and tell myself I will be doing what he does someday, just paying my dues. Just keep at the job till I can go visit Austrialia and see and talk to him and the rest of the team, that will make this job worth the pain. Unfortuantly they have made me less strong and scared to find another job in my love, I know that will change but it will take time, just like it will at the fact of lossing Steve. Now I am at a loss, I have cried since Sept. 4th and everytime I see anything about Steve or the family I start. I haven't even seen the memorial yet, I want someone to tape it so I can whatch it when I get a little stronger. All I know is that I am still going to have that trip to Austrialia one day and I will go to the zoo and be there.
I am also completely devestated over the death of Steve. I can not believe that I am still feeling so unbelievably sad ,upset, and all consumed with this terrible tragedy. It has been almost two weeks and my heart absolutely ACHES everyday over losing him. I never knew him but like all of you felt like he was a part of my family. Watching the memorial was heart wrenching from start to finish, I sobbed the whole time! I am so thankful for this forum because I thought I was going crazy ,no one else really seems to understand the horrible feelings of loss and complete and uttter devestation I am feeling (still). I think of him the moment I awake and all throughout the day wishing he was still here. I know I'm not alone now. God be with Terri, Bindi, and Bob . We all love them tremendously and wish we could console them.I hope they feel our love even if we are thousands of miles apart. CROCS RULE! NJ USA
I am just amazed and relieved to know that so many people are feeling the same way I am. I'm 39 and I feel as though I've lost a brother.
It has been over two weeks since Steve Irwin passed. The first few days I was in denial. No, it didn't happen I kept telling myself. I saw the reports on television, in the papers, on the internet, and still didn't want to believe. Somebody said in an earlier post that they have a copy of People Magazine with Steve's picture on the front cover with the headline of his tragic death and they kept looking at it in disbelief. The same thing happened to me. I felt as though I was in some Twilight Zone show.
It wasn't until I watched one of Animal Planet's tribute sections, showing Terri, baby Bob, and Steve playing with a stuffed animal snake, and Bob smiling up at his dad that it finally hit me hard, and I started crying. I have cried every day since. I am heartbroken for Terri, Bindi, Bob, Mr. Bob Irwin, Wes, and the entire family. I pray for them everyday. It hurts deeply knowing that Terri and Steve will not grow old together, his children will grow up without Steve. I cannot imagine the agony they all are going through.
Why is the world grieving so? Because Steve Irwin was an original. He embodied what so many people admire, and what so many of us want to be.
I read that some 300 million people watched the memorial service. If Steve Irwin has touched that many people, imagine what all of us could do together, to keep the fire Steve started burning???!!!! Through donations to Wildlife Warriors, volunteering our time to conservation efforts, getting involved! Making the most of our lives and making a difference in the lives of our fellow humans and animals.
I thank you all for your posts, and for helping each other through this. I'm not as articulate as many of the posters here are, and I'm still sorting it all out. At some point, we all have to move forward.
Lord, please watch over Terri, Bindi, Bob and the entire Irwin Family and extended family. Help guide them through this difficult and dark time of their lives. -Amen
I just cry at the thought that steve is now gone, he left us too early, too quick. I will always love steve even though I've never meet him. He'll be in my heart forever.
Hello imran90 please know that you are not alone. I too just cannot seem to get Steve out of my mind. I wake up every day thinking about him, missing him and wondering why this had to happen to him. I am glad that I saw your post, because the way you are feeling is exactly how I feel. At first I felt as if there was something wrong with me because I was grieving for Steve and didn't even know him, but now I see that there are a great number of us who feel the same way. I am going to keep everyone in my prayers, and I know that Steve will forever be in all of our hearts. Thank you for posting the way you feel, it means a lot to many people.
As the days go by, the reality of Steve's passing is sinking in. I woke up in middle of the night last night, and prayed to God, but I also had many questions for him. While I don't understand why Steve's span on earth was too short, God knows. Yes, sometimes our faith is shaken down to the very core, but when I realize the glorious things that Steve must be experiencing now, this Earth pales in comparsion.
I prayed that God would somehow reach into my heart and ease this hurt for a man I felt I knew. I can and my family can see how this sadness has overcome me and I've got to find a way to emerge from a tunnel of grief.
Today, I am sending a check to the Wildlife Warriors, and adding computer wallpaper of Steve to remind me of his message daily. Tomorrow, I will begin to find other ways to carry on his conservation work and will try to begin with a new perspective. Somewhere in my heart I hear a whisper that Steve is okay and with the Creator of all things, and that even if he could, the Glory he is experiencing now would not be traded.
Today also this prayer comes to mind:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.
As much as I wish we could, we can't bring Steve back.
But we CAN start from here, and carry on Steve's legacy. That is ALL Steve ever asked of us and it is the least we can do to "pay it forward".
No, you are not the only one. I don't think I will ever come to terms with it. I am 39 year old woman from Iowa, who never met Steve, but am taking this harder than I have ever taken anything. I can't stopping crying. I can't stop thinking of Terry, the kids, Bob & Wes. It's killing me, with my first waking thought to my last thought of each day. Maybe if in the future I can see that Terry, the kids & everyone are ok- maybe then I will be able to start dealing with this. I never knew I could be so sad.
it took me a couple of weeks to come to terms with steve's death.it bothers me every day.it distracts me from work/family time/etc. etc. etc.i am glad to see i am not alone in this.i came to this forum the day after he died and just couldn't post anything.i just kept reading every day.every day i visited and read everybody's words about steve.i don't know why his death is affecting me so much.i finally was able to post for the first time yesterday.i am a 29yr old husband/father of 3.i have been watching steve since my first daughter was born in 1996 and never stopped.we were all huge fans of his,my family was and we still are.my kids cried when i told them about his death.my wife is sad as well,but it hasn't affected her like it has me.i'm at the point now where i am hiding it from her so she doesn't think i'm a weirdo or something.i was doing a little better until tuesday night when i watched the memorial service.i was completely choked up the entire show and then when bindi got up there and gave that eulogy for her daddy i just lost it.i still can't accept that those 2 kids are going to grow up without daddy.i can't accept that he is gone and i don't know why.nothing has EVER bothered me like this.i hadn't cried for years until tuesday night.i know bindi will carry the torch for her daddy and i know she will do it well,but i can't accept that poor little bob will not remember his daddy.he will have no memories of him.this thought is tearing my heart apart.i can honestly say that i loved steve,as a hero,a role model,a father,a husband,and as a friend.i didn't even know him but i feel this way,like alot of us do.he let us into his life and we saw the REAL steve irwin.just from watching him on animal planet we KNEW he was a great father,when we would see him with bindi and bob.we KNEW he was a great husband from watching him with terri.i looked up to him because of these things and as a result he became a role model for me.he was a hero to me because of the way he championed for animal rights and conservation.and even though i didn't know him personally i feel as though he was my friend.i don't know if this is weird to feel that way but i do.i feel so bad for terri bindi and bob.i wish there was something i could do personally for them.i pray for them every night.i pray that they will get through this terrible tragedy together.i am always going to miss him.i am actually looking forward to this lump in my throat going away.i am used to watching his shows everyday but now its so hard.this whole thing just sucks.
Hi everyone..still struggling here too, trying to come to some closure and finding it difficult at best, but this forum has been a gift..thank you..I have come upon a post on another forum that was especially enlightning, thought it may be helpful..called Mission Complete- making sense of a senseless death.. http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9691947048/m/9641930548
man, and conservationist, he is the reason I'll probably go into that line of work. I want to help contribute as much as i can to the wild, just as he did. I really miss him, i cried 
all day when he passed away. I wish Terri, and Bindi and Bob, and all his friends and other family members the best. They are all in the WORLD'S thoughts! 