When I was 4 years old, we had a cocker spaniel named Bonnie.
I remember one day hearing my Mom call out for "someone to let the dog out!" Being 4, I didn't really know the difference between front yard and back yard (which was fenced), so I let Bonnie out the front. Bonnie ran away and was hit by a car.
For year's I held myself to blame over her death and nothing my parents could ever say would convince me that I hadn't killed her.
This year my 19 year old daughter died and of course, the same type of guilt and remorse takes over.
And my 12 year old pup, Timber died 6 weeks later and I beat myself up for not seeing the signs.
You ask yourself over and over: If only, if only, if only....!". I've now discovered that this is a pointless exercise. We can learn from the things that happen to us and our loved ones, but take that learning and look forward.
I'm not religious particularly, but I do believe that things happen for a reason....perhaps we'll never know what the reason is exactly, but our cumulative experiences of joy and loss shape us all in ways that I trust makes us better somehow, to give back in ways that we might not have otherwise.
I don't know if this helps. But it's helped me to rationalize somewhat the losses that I had this year - that perhaps there is a greater good that comes out of it.