Foley's Tales From Rainbow Bridge: Welcoming Wills

 

Birthdays don’t mean as much to dogs as they do those who mark them with cards, food, and presents. Some of us are lucky enough to get presents on our birthdays, and they are always appreciated, but we don’t like acknowledging them any more than a person in their 70s does because the odds of seeing the end of the following year rise with each birthday. No one wants to celebrate their “One year closer to the Bridge Day.”

But, sometimes, our birthdays give us something to be proud of, especially when we share a birthday with our parents as our friends.

Wills shared a birthday with his mom, which made him proud, and also brushed against the birth of a New Year. December 31. There was much to celebrate on the year’s last day in Wills’ pack. All he wanted for his birthday was to celebrate it with his mom.

Wills came from a large pack but was destined to be the leader from the day the previous head of the bag, Josie, picked him as her successor and taught him what he needed to be a good boss. Despite having three maniacal younger brothers, Josie was a strong leader, always setting a good example.

Wills helped his mom deal with her grief when one of his brothers, Elvis, left for the Bridge. His mom’s beautiful boy was showing signs of age. He had never had the most accessible life but fought and triumphed to stay with his mom, which he did every day, which he couldn’t any longer.

On the 15th, as she had done with Elvis weeks before, and still in grief over that, their mom took on Wills’ burden and took away his pain, making the selfless decision to send the soul who knew her best and always made her feel better, to the Bridge, to live without pain and worry.

But worry is a complex emotion to remove from a soul, as is sorrow, which Wills began to feel two weeks after his passing as the mutual birthday arrived.

         There was only one solution.

         Josie, Elvis, and the rest of the pack’s angels filled out all the paperwork and found an intelligent, wise, and charming judge who allowed Wills and his mom one more night to have one more birthday together.

It was a lavish party, and no one had a better time than their Mommy. She is lucky to be a New Year’s Eve baby because it is one of the most magical nights of the year. Wills was equally pleased, enjoying what we all wanted on more days.

Sadly, humans are not allowed to remember their dream visits. On the few times they do, their medication is adjusted so it doesn’t happen again. But, hopefully, she felt, if one for a few hours, a lighter heart.

If you are human and wish to go to your dog’s birthday party at the Bridge, let me ask you this: How do you know you haven’t?