Bridge

Just this side of Heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so that they can run and play together. There is plenty of water and sunshine and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All of the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special....someone who was left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent, his eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly, he breaks from the group, flying over the green grass, faster and faster. You have been spotted and when you and your special friend finally meet, you will cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.

The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head and you look once more into those trusting eyes, so long gone from your life, but never absent from your heart.

A man and his skunk were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying and that the skunk had been dead for years.

He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by an arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate at the arch that looked like Mother of Pearl and the street that led toward the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the skunk walked toward the gate and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir", the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up". The man gestured and the gate began to open.

"May my friend," gesturing toward his skunk, "come in too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued on the way he had been going. After another long walk and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree, and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there." The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in."

"How about my friend, here?" The traveler gestured to the skunk. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl, took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the skunk.

When they were full he and the skunk walked back toward the man, who was standing by a tree waiting for them.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven", was the answer.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope... That's Hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."

This is Pookie.......I was given special permission to write this letter today, to let everyone know that all of us at the rainbow bridge are having SUCH fun !!!

Auntie Lynnda, Bushi wants me to tell you that he is fine........he has no more pain and he can run and hop just like when he was little. He loves you for letting the doctor take away the pain !!!! He sends you LOTS and lots of skunky loves :) He knows that what you did was very hard, and that you tried everything that you could to make him better, but nothinng worked, and he understands :)

We have lots of toys, and there are some people who are here to love and cuddle us, whenever we want. We ALL have special beds, and snugglies, and we don't have any more pain. We get LOTS of veggies, and good stuff to eat too.There are other animals to cuddle with, and we get to chase butterflies, play in the grass, and even swim in a nice pond that has a ramp in it !!!!

We have a special place, where we can look at our families, when we miss you, we just have to go to the mirror, and wish, and there you are !!!! Sometimes, we get to come to you while you are sleeping...we curl up and snuggle with you :) We don't know if you can feel us, but we hope so. When you cry cause you miss us, we reach out with our love, and kiss the tears away, and we try to send happy memories to you, so that you only remember the fun times that we shared......not the saying good-bye time.

Death is nothing at all

I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.

Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone -
wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort,
without a ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.

What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
because I'm out of sight?
I am but waiting for you,
for an interval, somewhere very near,
Just round the corner.

All is well.

-Henry Scott Holland