On Thanksgiving

 

We had turkey

 

Watched the Cardinals play

 

Cleaned our plates

 

And fell asleep

Foley Welcomes Cruit to Rainbow Bridge

 

 There will come a time when all souls are here at the Bridge.  The Earth and the Sun are both living creatures with set life spans  When the day comes that one of them passes, all souls will file over the Bridge, which will become the land of Happily Ever After, as everyone will be with their loved ones for eternity with no worries.

Lately, it has seemed that pets could be facing the end times before the sun, planet, and humans.  My friends have been coming over the Bridge in record numbers.  Just when I think the flow has stopped, another one passes.  Not only has this been terrible for our friends, but their parents, who only have loneliness where their heart has been.  

The latest friend to take his last breath on the mortal side is my friend Cruit.  As was true with Lucy, who I wrote about previously,  Cruit was adopted, and he only had nine months with his family.  But, for Momma Rebecca and Dad Virgil, that nine months might have been nine years because they loved him with their hearts, and he returned it with every cell in his body.

When Cruit arrived in his new home, he met a sweet dog named Barney, his brother, and soon they developed an inseparable bond.  When Barney went to the Bridge, his parents were hit with a massive wave of grief, and they only survived because they had a life ring called Cruit.

When the Darkness came to bring Cruit to the Bridge, they sent the seizure monster after him.  It affected him on his favorite spot on the rug.  He stood, but his back end didn't comply, and his body began jerking back and forth, then he fell asleep, leaving his concerned parents fussing over him.

His parents took him to the vet, where he was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and was internally bleeding.  It was the same reason that Barney had gone to the Bridge.  Sometimes ironies are particularly cruel.

His parents gave him the greatest gift of all and took all his pain from him and on to themselves, then let him go free, where he can return to the body of a young greyhound and run so hard he shakes the leaves from the trees.  

Barney joined him, and even though they had not been siblings for long, they joyfully greeted one another.  

Even though he was part of the family for less than a year, he has a forever home with Barney, and someday his parents.  

His parents gave Cruit two great gifts:  One was a home to live out his last mortal days, and another was a home for eternity.  Even though he just passed, he still considers himself to be the luckiest dog in the world.  

Beat This Caption

 You wouldn't believe what
some asshole is doing to the watering hole

 

 

Monday Question

 

What is your position on kisses?

Do you like giving them?

Do you like getting them?…

Nigel Helps Lucy Transition to the Bridge

No dog wants to come to the Bridge unless they have survived their humans' passing.  Sometimes they are so reluctant we have to send another dog to summons them.  When it was Lucy's time, and she did not appear, we sent Nigel, who selected Lucy and her sister Carli to replace him, to summon her.

When Carli found out that her heartbeats were expiring, the beautiful bulldog said she could make them last for another five years if she didn't breathe too often. Sadly, she was not the first near angel to try this, and we knew it was futile and would lead to a long, slow passing.  Nigel did not want that for one of the amazing girls who rebuilt their parent's hearts when he passed. And, he knew from personal experience you could not overstay your welcome on the mortal side.  

Nigel waited for when his parents were away from home, and then he appeared to his sisters as a ghost.  He could have done it with their parents there.  Humans are too far removed from the magical side of life to have recognized him, but they would have seen his sisters were up so something, causing Nigel to scurry away and Carli to suffer longer.

When Lucy saw Nigel, she knew why he was there and immediately told him that she would not be leaving with him.  She wanted more time with her parents, and she had a good reason for feeling slighted.  Although she was along in years for a boxer, she had only had five years with her parents; they adopted her as an adult.  

"I should have had more time," she says.  "It took me years to find the perfect parents, thanks to you.  I didn't expect a long tenure, but five years, it went by like a blink of an eye."

Nigel told her that was true, but everything happens for a reason, and her life led her to be ready for adoption when Nigel left because only she and Carli could have healed her parent's hearts, and that is all that matters.  Also, she shouldn't look at it as just five years because she would be part of the family for eternity, but she has to pass on when her times come or be sentenced to a lonely life as a spirit.

When her parents came home, there were remnants of life while her soul celebrated at the Bride.  She was rushed to the doctor, but they could not save little Lucy's body.  Luckily, her soul had been five years earlier, and she is forever part of their family.  

Hopefully, those words will comfort her parents at the saddest of times.

Arty Arrivers at Rainbow Bridge

 

 Arty traveled with his parents and sister Rosy on the mortal side. This week he made his final trip but had to make it alone.

Arty was one of our first and best, Blogville friends.  He is a darling black and white Shih Tzu who looked enough like my sister Blake to give me the warm fuzzies whenever I saw his smiling face.

Arty, Rosy, and his parents piled into their RV and visited the most beautiful areas of the western United States, and they shared their adventures with us daily on their blog.  It was like having the extraordinary privilege of traveling with them.

Before his traveling days, Arty served as Mayor of Blogville, making wise decisions and creating a place for dogs and their imaginations to thrive. Arty's election proved what a loved dog he is by those lucky enough to know him.

But most of all, Arty was a beloved family member who could spread joy with just a look.  His parents were wise enough to know you never take a smile for granted because they are all unique, and when they are gone, they won't shine on the mortal said again.

Arty's arrival was stunning, not just because it was unexpected but because of the manner used. Arty crossed the Bridge on the back of a white Mustang, firing his pistols in the air to announce his appearance.

Running to greet her brother was Dory, who preceded him at the Bridge. Arty slipped off his horse with more grace than any dog I have seen, and they hugged the stuffing out of one another.

Then came his Blogville friends, who welcomed Arty with hugs, tears, laughter, and kindness traits he had showered on them for ten years.

Having been a mayor, he was experienced in the swearing-in process, which occurred smoothly. When I was given a chance to speak with him at the colossal welcoming feast, he told me he had a message for his mom.

When a dog squirts a pee mail, they leave a bit of themselves behind, so wherever his parents go where he has peed, he will be there with them. The same goes for their yard and that spot in the RV that; his parents never noticed, which he left so he could always go with them.  

I had one more duty before the evening ended. I swore in Arty as Mayor of "Blogville at the Bridge" for as long as he wants to serve.  All the residents are excited about the beautiful events he will bring to their village, just as he had to the mortal side of Blogville.

Arty's arrival is a significant addition to the Angel side. Unfortunately, it came at a terrible cost for the mortal side.

Grayce Arrives At Rainbow Bridge

 

Champions rise and fall, but all my good friend Graycee did was rise until, at three months shy of her fifteenth birthday, she rose to Rainbow Bridge.

Graycee lived not too far from me, on the other side of the Cape Cod Canal, which, in the summer, with only two bridges spanning the waterway, might as well have been the other side of the country.  

We both became very well-known dogs, me through writing, and Graycee by being a championship pup, winning competitions.  I never got a writer's ribbon, but Graycee had an entire wall of deserved championship rewards.

But, most of all, Graycee was a family dog, the leader of a pack of winners, and the apple of her mom's Joan's eye.  Grace and her Aunt Joan practiced a lot, but neither minded because it was their time together.  Graycee never won a ribbon because she strove to be the best, but because she knew it made her mom happy and proud.

Every dog is treated like a king when they pass over, but when a championship dog does, all the ribbons won suddenly appear in the trees. Other obedience dogs come to welcome their competitor.

There was a loud and moving howl of respect and sorrow when Graycee regally crossed over the Bridge.  She did not break training as she slowly walked to the stairs, then climbed them, showing perfect form.  It was not until I have Graycee the anget oath that she showed her emotions, which we caught between a laugh and a tear.

Once we completed the formalities, Graycee let her playful side shine through as she played with her family members, other competitors, and friends, both from the online world, and she met in person who preceded her to the Bridge.  They ran freely around the river, up the mountains, and through the valley.  

All those hours of training and competitions created an unbreakable bond between Graycee and her mom, and when the ties that bind are that strong, merely passing over the River of Life cannot break them.  All moms see their angels in their dreams, as other animals, or out of the corner of their eyes, but because of the strong bond, I am sure her mom will feel Graycee's presence all the time, and it will never leave.

Championships and ribbons are all well and good because they symbolize a dog's brilliance.  But nothing can trump the love and devotion between a mom and her dog or put asunder what Graycee and her mom feel for one another.