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The Rainbow Bridge - in honor of Scout

The Rainbow Bridge
for those alone and without a friend in this life...

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge, there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass. When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water, and warm Spring weather. Those old and frail animals are young again. Those who have been maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other.

Some of them here are different. They were beaten, starved, tortured, and unloved. They watch wistfully as their friends leave one by one, to cross the bridge with their special person. For them there is no one, no special one. Their time on earth did not give them one.

But one day, as they run and play, they notice someone standing by the road to the bridge. This person wistfully watches the reunions of friends, for in their life, they had no pet. They were beaten, starved, tortured, and unloved.

As they stand there alone, one of the unloved pets comes up to them, curious as to why this one is alone. And as the they get nearer to each other, a miracle occurs, for these are the ones who were meant to be together. Their special person, their beloved pet, although on Earth they never met. With the meeting of two souls, the pain and the sorrow disappear, and two friends are together.

Then they cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated.

Anonymous

Another Version:

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge, there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass.

When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water, and warm spring weather. The old and frail animals are young again. Those who have been maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other.

But there is only one thing missing. They are not with their special person who loved them on Earth. So each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up. The nose twitches! The ears are up! The eyes are staring! And this one suddenly runs from the group!

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. Your face is kissed again and again and again, and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated.

Anonymous 

Weep Not for Me, In Memory of a Beloved Cat

Weep not for me though I am gone into that gentle night.

Grieve if you will, but not for long upon my soul's sweet flight.

I am at peace, my soul's at rest

There is no need for tears.

For with your love I was so blessed.

For all those many years.

There is no pain, I suffer not,

The fear now all is gone.

Put now these things out of your thoughts,

In your memory I live on.

Remember not my fight for breath

Remember not the strife.

Please do not dwell upon my death,

But celebrate my life.

Constance Jenkins, Written in In Loving Memory of Isolde
Copyright 1992 Constance Jenkins, All Rights Reserved

A Time To Remember

They come into our lives for such a short time- a time we wouldn't trade not even for a dime.

Then before you know it the years have flown by and then all of a sudden we're saying good-bye.

It wasn't that long ago we said our good-byes.

We held on to you tight as you closed your eyes.

Your spirit has flown home on the wings of a dove into God's loving arms; in heaven above.

Over the days we've shed many tears
but the memories we have will live on for years.

We feel your presence and we know that you are near

You're keeping us safe and calming our fears.

We think about memories from years past when you were young and strong and ran so fast.

We remember all the great times that we all had. 

How you always made us happy never made us mad.

They were the best and happiest years we had.

We'll always look back on them and never be sad.

We look forward to the time we'll be together again and we thank the Lord for such a great friend

Now you run and play up in Heaven above cradled in God's arms covered with his love.

Playing by the Bridge waiting for the day we come down through the meadow to the bridge to stay.

The love that you showed us we'll never forget because to us you're one very special pet.

You're like a star in the dark of night
always watching over us with the Lord's light.

So now we take time to remember our best friend who will always be with us even to the end.

We'll always remember you the way you were- one big lovable, huggable pile of fur.

John Quealy

Living Love

If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will always remember... 

The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your young new friend. You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that silly looking mutt in a shelter--simply because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore, and claim its special place in your hall or front room--and when you feel it brush against you for the first time--it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through the many years to come. 

The second day will occur eight or nine or ten years later. It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your long-time friend and see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will see sleep where you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust your friend's diet--and you may add a pill or two to her food. And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a coming emptiness. And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until the third day finally arrives.

And on this day--if your friend and God have not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own--on behalf of your lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest Spirit. But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you---you will feel as alone as a single star in the dark night. If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your circle of family or friends will be able to understand your grief, or comfort you. But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul--a bit smaller in size than your own---seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely days to come. And at moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary to happen, you may feel something brush against your leg--very very lightly. And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend used to lay---you will remember those three significant days. The memory will most likely be painful, and leave an ache in your heart---As time passes the ache will come and go as it has a life of its own. You will both reject it and embrace it, and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache.

But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when---along with the memory of your pet---and piercing through the heaviness in your heart---there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we have loved, and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living Love---like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have wilted, this love will remain and grow--and be there for us to remember. It is a love we have earned. It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go. And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live. It is a love which is ours alone. And until we ourselves leave, perhaps to join our beloved pets--it is a love that we will always possess. 

By Martin Scot Kosins
Author of "Maya's First Rose"

The Best Place to Bury a Dog