A Golden Girls Reunion

When we began on social media, some of us, like me, were known by our individual names, while others, such as The Killer K9’s, and the MinPin Gang, went by what their pack was called.  One of the most popular of these groups is the Golden Girls.

As you may have determined by their name, the Golden Girls were three golden retriever lollipops.  They lived with their mom Sharry and shared with her an unbreakable love. The Girls lived glorious lives, filled with sunny days, playtimes, treats, food walks, competitions, and blue ribbons.  But then the lions came, first for Misha, and then Guinevere.  That left Daisy as the last original Golden Girl.

Daisy became a bridge between the original pack and a new Golden Girl group, consisting of Breeze and Ari.  Before Daisy departed for the Bridge, she needed to make sure the new members were prepared to help their mom through what could be the most devastating loss of them all, for when Daisy departed the tie to the original Girls would be broken.

    Daisy was stricken with vestibular disease, which viciously robbed her of her equilibrium.  The dog who had run for hours now could barely walk.  It was heartbreaking to witness.  In a dream meeting, Daisy made her angel siblings promise that they would help her stay until she thought Momma Sharry was strong enough to handle her passing.  They readily agreed.

    While all five members of the Golden Girls, both mortal and immortal, tried to prepare their mom for the moment that Daisy’s soul crossed the Bridge, losing a family member, even when it is inevitable, and scheduled, is still heart-crushing.  As much as Momma Sharry knew what would happen when she took Daisy to the vet for the final time when her heart would beat it’s last, the grief was bound to hit Sharry like a runaway truck, as it did.  On the positive side, when Momma Sharry got home, she was met by Breeze and Ari, who had been well taught how to ease her pain.  

    Meanwhile, at the Bridge, all of Daisy’s Doggyspace and online friends, plus those she had met at competitions and on walks and had preceded her to the Bridge, most importantly Guinevere and Misha, awaited to greet the Golden Girl.  When she emerged from the River of Life and began to cross the Bridge, her fur looked like spun gold.  We all howled a hearty welcome to her.

    Angels are supposed to wait for a soul to cross the Bridge before they approach, but there is no controlling love.  Misha and Guinnervere burst past me, ran down the steps, over the cobblestone path, and leaped on their sister while she was still on the Bridge, almost knocking her into the river, and then they began all biting and licking one another in a big golden heap.

    When angels are reunited they become like mortal dogs who find the gate open,  lose all reason, and run, which is exactly what the Golden Girls did.  Our part of the river is on an endless loop, so if you run to the west, in a minute, you will approach from the east.  It was like watching the Golden Girls circumnavigate the world, which I am sure would have been their druthers. 

    When a soul crosses the Bridge it is a highly emotional moment.  There is a joy because the new angels see their loved ones that have passed before them, feel relief that they are no longer in pain, and sorrow because they are no longer with the ones left behind.  The Golden Girls knew all that would come to Daisy in time, but for now, running cured all.

    I waited for hours for them to stop running, but they kept going, so I went to bed. I could swear Daisy in when the Golden Girls stopped.  And that is when Daisy would begin to deal with the emotions of passing over.  For now, I let her run, not away from her problems, but just in the moment.