Foley's Tails From Rainbow Bridge: Gretchen

 

For Brody, life, on both sides of the Bridge, has been a series of beginnings and endings, mostly as a witness, but one sad day he became the departed himself.

That was long ago, and since then, Brody has been an angel first class, which is good because he has a lot of people to watch over.

When he walked the mortal world, he loved to play, snuggle, and eat, which he did a lot of, without caring if it was actual food. This was his downfall; one night, he ate something that sent him to the Bridge.

Before that sad day, Brody had done a lot of welcoming, mostly to his human brother and sister, whom he guarded as a mortal and angel. Their safety is his prime concern, and he found the perfect mortal helper.

Gretchen was a sweet, loving German Shepherd treasure who lost his family and, at seven and a half, needed a new home. Brody had already brought in a replacement, Finnm, but he was about the fun. Gretchen needed to do the more serious work of watching over Brody's Mom and her kids.

Gretchen gave her heart and soul to the family. When she was adopted, she knew she would not have a long time with her family, so she gave us as much love, calmness, and caring as possible - fifteen years worth in less than two.

When Gretchen had given the last drop of her devotion, she was sent to the Bridge by her loving mom. Whenever a parent has to say goodbye, they relive all the other times their beloved pet passed over. Even though each death strengthens a human, it is still harder each time.

Brody was the first to meet Gretchen and hugged her, which the German Shepherd returned. They thanked one another for caring for the kids and for the opportunity to do so.

With three-quarters of her life over, Gretchen had never had a true home and little hope for one, but when she met Angel Brody, he gave her the greatest gift: eternal love. Moving into Brody's house was a forever home on both sides of the Bridge.

Finn is still there to rebuild his mom's broken heart, which has been shattered several times and put back together by Brody, Finn, and Gretchen. They have filled the same role for the children, all knowing there is rarely something as precious as a child's love for a dog.

Brody has seen another ending, and that is when he starts looking to facilitate the next beginning.