Friday, April 19, 2024

Foley's Tales From Rainbow Bridge : Lightning Strikes

 

This week, at Rainbow Bridge, a place that always has good weather, Lightning lit the sky. It wasn’t from a storm but because my bestie Lightning had arrived.

If the only reason for passing over is running out of heartbeats then Lightning would have stayed mortal for years because no one has a bigger, or more reliable heart.

If only his other muscles and bones had been as strong.

We all owe, from out first breaths, a trip to the Bridge, and when one, like Lightning, refuses to leave his mortal family and exists on a backlog of heartbeats, they take away his ability to move, which happened to Lightning, the once athletic, activity loving dog was reduced to lying in his bed, sometimes not having the strength to stand and relieve himself.

His parents knew how much Lightning wanted to be with them. He would have sacrificed everything to stay in his normal spot under the table, but because he is strongly loved, his parents made the hardest decision, to take on all the pain and sadness that Lightning was suffering from themselves and free him to be a strong, healthy puppy albert away from them, at the Bridge.

Pets are the only souls who, while facing the end, will gaze at the person who is bringing his transition, and look at them with all the love in the world, which Lightning did, in his final seconds, swearing to his parents his eternal love.

Inside his former home, the silence of his paw falls, barks, and breathing have drowned out any comforting sounds nature had to soothe his parents’, and siblings, Misty and Timber’s pain. But the silence slowly fades, as does their pain, and, while recovering is too tall an order, they get used to the pain, and can accept healing love again.

Meanwhile, although he misses his family, and wishes he was with them, he is running free with those from his pack who preceded him, Dakota, Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara. He visits his pack members, Misty, and Timber, in their dreams, which seem, for now, to confuse them, but soon will comfort them.

He visits his parents too, but they don’t recall the dream, someday, when they awaken, his passing won’t be the first thing they think of, and that is the morning after their mind accepts the dream visits and knows they will be together again.

When the Bridge gets a new angel there is a fresh star in the sky, but Lightning will be represented by the flashing bolts that light up the night sky.

From now on don’t look at Lightning as being scary.

It is just a treasured dog telling his parents he loves them.

 

 

7 comments:

  1. This is so beautiful and I can hardly see through my tears to read to the bottom. My heat breaks over and over for Kathie and her husband and for Misty and Timber♥

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  2. Oh my goodness, that made me cry too. We sure loved that dear Lightning and his experience will be most welcome at the Bridge since he spent years as an Angel on Earth. We know, without a doubt, that he will always be watching over his special Earthly family.

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  3. We read this last night and could not find the words through the tears. We have tears again this morning, but you captured the essence of Lightning completely. He DID indeed have a big heart, and it beat every day to its fullest bringing joy and happiness to all around him. Although he was never the leader of the pack and never wanted to be, Misty and Timber looked up to him as their guide. That is why they miss him so much right now. Thank you for this touching and loving tribute to Lightning. We know he will be a faithful and kind and compassionate member of your family over the Bridge.

    Woo - Misty, Timber, and Mom Kathie

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  4. Ruby Rose certainly captured the entire soul of Lightning. His quiet presence on the blog and the adoring way he watched his siblings will forever be remembered
    Hugs Cecilia

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  5. What a beautiful tribute to Lightning. We will always think of him when we see him light up the sky during a rain storm.

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  6. Thank you so much for this moving tribute to dear, beautiful Lightning.

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  7. A beautiful tribute to our friend. Lee and Phod

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