Rainbow Bridge Return

The little dog arrived at the Rainbow Bridge, 
and a pack of dogs rushed up to greet him.  
He braced himself, expecting a fight, but this 
was the first pack that wagged their tails and 
kissed him instead of attacking him.
It was beautiful here, and everyone was nice to 
him.  None of them had been born in a puppy mill, 
like he had, and used for dog-bait fighting and left
to die in a shelter because he was a mix-breed 
battle-scarred cur and wasn't cute.  
They explained why they were waiting...
for their humans who loved them.
"What is love?" he asked, and God let him go 
back to earth, and find out.
Warm, and dark, he squeezed in with the others 
and waited for the day to be born. 
Scared, he held back as long as he could, 
but finally got dragged out, by his hind feet.  
Hands without fur held him gently and rubbed him dry 
and opened his mouth and guided him to a warm nipple 
with milk. He didn't get a good hold on it, 
because one of his big fat brothers pushed him aside.  
The human hand moved the other puppy to another nipple 
and held his body, so he could drink.
"Ahhh, that's better, " he thought, and drank 
until his jaws got tired and he curled up to sleep 
next to his warm hairy mother. "I remember this," he mused... 
"Too bad I'll have to grow up to be hit, left out in the cold 
and rain, and used for dog-bait fighting, and die 
as an unclaimed rescue dog.  I remember what it's like, 
being a dog." he thought sadly.
That night, he crawled up to his mother and tried to nurse, 
but he kept getting pushed off to the side.  
When they were full, the big brothers and sisters got 
their bottoms cleaned and he finally latched on to a nipple, 
but the human hands weren't there to hold him up, 
and there wasn't any milk in any of the nipples, anyway.  
He was weak and so tiny.  It was even hard to stay upright, 
and he fell over on his back and couldn't right himself.
So he began to cry, and suddenly the human hands were there, 
holding him up and putting a rubber thing in his mouth.  
It didn't taste or feel like mother, but it was warm and 
made the ache in his tummy go away.
He was having trouble breathing ...   
His lungs weren't fully developed, because he had waited 
too long to join the others in the womb, as he took one last romp 
at the Rainbow Bridge. He could feel the heartbeat of the human,
who had laid him on her chest and covered him with a soft cloth, 
keeping him warm, and soothing his boney body 
with gentle circling touches.
He kept thinking of his new friends 
who had been so nice to him at the bridge 
and asked God if he could go back.  
God said "Yes, but not just yet.  
You wanted to experience Love."
So for several hours (seemed like days but it was dark 
and he couldn't tell what time it was), the human supplemented 
his feeding and let him experience the warmth of his mother's 
body and tongue, and the pile of warm soft littermates. 
He got weaker, and the human held him more often, leaving 
the littermates to sleep in a pile while he got carressed, 
kissed, and got to listen to the heartbeat 
which was strong and loving.
Finally God came back and asked, 
"are you ready to come back to the Rainbow Bridge?"
"Yes", he responded, with a little sorrow, 
because the human didn't want to let him go, and was crying.
He pushed the air out of his lungs and floated 
back to the Rainbow Bridge and looked back at the human, 
who was still crying and holding the limp body
that he had borrowed for his trip.
"Thank you, God," he said.  "Love is beautiful, 
and I will wait near the Bridge and let the human know, 
when she arrives, that I loved her, too."
by Joy LaCaille
....You have my permission to share it,  but please keep 
my name as the author......Feb. 2002

Lend Me A Pup

I will lend to you a pup, God said,
for you to love him while he lives
and mourn for him when he's dead.
Maybe for twelve or fourteen years,
but maybe just two or three.
But will you, 'till I call him back,
take care of him for Me? 
He'll bring his charms to gladden you
and (should his stay be brief)
you'll always have his memories
as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay,
since all from earth return
but there are lessons taught below
I want this pup to learn. 
I've looked the whole world over
in search of teachers true.
And from those that crowd the land
I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love
nor think not the labor be in vain,
nor hate Me when I come
to take My pup back again. 
I fancied that I heard them say
"Dear Lord, Thy will be Done"
for all the joy this pup will bring,
the risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter him with tenderness
we'll love him while we may.
and for the happiness we've
known forever grateful stay.
But should You call him back
much sooner than we've planned,
we'll brave the bitter grief that comes,
and try to understand.
If, by our love, we've managed,
Your wishes to achieve
in memory of him we loved,
to help us while we grieve,
when our faithful bundle departs
this world of strife,
we'll have yet another pup
and love him all his life. 
---Author Unknown