You know, I had been reading a book that I'dpurchased recently when I went through that very stressful week withRaph...where I almost lost him, where I almost had him euthanized. Justthe anticipation that something could happen to Raph at any moment wastearing me apart, as was wondering if I was doing the right thing forhim. And when I got to the end of the book I found that it helped megreatly in dealing with the inevitablegrief that accompanieslosing someone so close to you, whether it is a human or an animal.
The book was written by the father of an 11-yr-old boy who'd beendiagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. They fought the disease fortwo years, but it persisted...every time they'd make progress with onetumor, another would appear. The entire family was suffering immensely,knowing that their son, Taylor, wasn't going to make it...but at thevery end of the book, when it describes his actual passing, the griefand sorrow was greatly overshadowed by something beautiful.
The father sat on his son's bedroom floor, cradling Taylor for 3 daysas he slowly slipped away. During this time Taylor was sometimes lucid,sometimes not, as he was so heavily sedated to try and ward off thephysical pain...but in his lucid moments would talk to his dad. Then onthe third morning the father woke up to hear his son talking to him,and he began to respond...but realized that Taylor wasn't talking tohim. He wasn't concious, but he was having a conversationwith Jesus. I don't recall word for word what was said now, but it wentsomething like this:
'Hi!'
'Okay...I will'
'Then I'll see you soon, right?'
'Alright...goodbye for now'
After this Taylor became silent, and then a few hours later he began having another, more brief, conversation:
'Hi again!'
'Okay'
'Yes, I'm ready'
Then Taylor stopped talking...a smile appeared on his face...and he passed away.
This is how I believe it to be for all of us when our timecomes...animals, humans, good, bad, and otherwise...it is an amazingjourney back to our true home. And while those who cross over leavebehind an enormous wake of grief and pain in their loved ones, it issuch a comfort to know that they are now truly whole again, that theyare enveloped with a blanket of pure love when they go, and that theydo wait for us at the other side of 'the rainbow bridge'. I think ofall the loved ones I've lost over the years, and the pain of course isthere whenever I find myself missing them, but in knowing that theirtransition is so beautiful, I am deeply comforted.
I hope this helps in some way, Peg...and it's so good to hear that you can smile once again...:hug2:
