Adc's From My Boy

[Maylissa]

Eliza,

and all those interested in ADC's from our furbabies,

These are some of the more prominent ADC's I've been priveleged to receive from my furboy, Sabin, after he transitioned. He had always shown me, in so-called physical life, that the mind is not limited to any perceived attachment to the body and in his ADC's, he demonstrated that the love attachment is no different and that the essence of someone lives on, and continues to love. The signs I received from him were bigger, more continuous and easier to corroborate and believe in than any I've received since from either my Mother or brother...probably as fitting as I'd thought, since the love shared between me, him and his sister, Nissa, was/is the biggest and deepest I've known so far in my life.

My beloved boy first showed me he was still around 1 or 2 days after he'd transitioned ( I was so tramatized, I never could remember later on which of the 2 days it was ), in the morning, in bed. I knew I'd already woken up for a few seconds because I could feel the bedclothes and hear my husband breathing next to me. I clearly felt Sabin tromping my hair and nuzzling my ear, as he'd sometimes done when we were in bed. This was my absolute favourite thing that he'd do, as he'd stick his snoot right into my ear and purr as he kneaded my hair. It was completely soothing to me and I'd always told him how much I adored this ritual. At first I thought it MUST be his sister, wondering if this was one of those phenomenas I'd heard about when one's remaining kidlets take on some of the habits of a transitioned companion. But when I opened my eyes a few seconds later ( once I remembered he wasn't there anymore - I think I may have 'invalidated' his visit by that thought ), she was nowhere near my head, but down on my legs fast asleep. I was both devastated that he wasn't here in the physical, yet flabbergasted that I'd actually had an ACD from him, and so soon!

Then a few days later, both me and Nissa heard him clawing the carpet inside a closet he'd frequented, while I was washing up for bedtime. We heard it 2 or 3 times, for a few seconds each time, to the point where my eyes were round in amazement and anticipation. I had to actually open the door to satisfy Nissa, who looked somewhat alarmed but curious, so I know it wasn't just in my own head, from the constant yearning to be with him again. I honestly half-expected, from some wondrous miracle, to find him in there. A crushing blow when I didn't, yet again, it left me breathless with wonder and awe that he'd come through again, and this time for BOTH of us. ( probably because he knows his Mom can be pretty sceptical and scientific and wants proof all the time! )

In the next few weeks, Nissa and I also kept hearing the sound of his paws hitting the second floor as if he was jumping down from his favourite spots to come join us downstairs as we were sitting on the couch together. This had been standard practise with the 3 of us, with Nissa often beginning our lap-time on my thighs, then Sabin joining us a bit later, shoving his poor sister further down my legs 'til she was on my shins, while HE took my comfier thighs....or sometimes even pushing her right OFF my legs so he could stretch out fully! So when we heard his jumps, we'd both get all goosey-necked, straining to look up the stairs, sure we'd be seeing him loping down any second. It broke my heart each time, as Nissa would look so crestfallen, too, just as I was, when Sabin didn't physically show up...the sound was so REAL, we both just expected a miracle every time!

He also started sending me his age when he transitioned, all over the place, through the media usually, in print, on TV, on radio....it seemed I couldn't go through hardly a day w/o seeing or hearing it. He was 13 when he crossed over ( and was black cat, no less, but with a tiny white tip on the end of his tale, like a beacon. ) After months of this, I started marking down all the times I noticed it, and it was quite remarkable. When there was a day or two when I wouldn't see or hear it, I'd ask him to please send it to me again so I'd know he was still around and wouldn't panic about his absence and sure enough, the next day it would be there even more times than usual. The most indicative part about this was that one of his physical demonstrations of the mind not being 'trapped' in the body usually happened when I was panicking about his whereabouts.....then he'd show up! This has continued for over 5 years, and since the number 13 is usually considered unlucky by humans in North America, I've found it very strange that it was being used, or just happened, so often...from numbers of people in committees, to number of people killed somewhere, etc, etc, etc.

I also heard his voice, as if it was human, talk to me a few times...usually short little statements as I was grieving, but thoroughly out of the blue, and always things that I'd NEVER tell myself because it wasn't like me, so aside from feeling it was him interrupting my thoughts, I sure knew it wasn't ME.

Our 4th Christmas without him was very tough for me, and one morning I was REALLY missing him badly and asked him if he could visit me during the holidays. No sooner had I asked, when I started searching the radio for a station that was still playing Xmas music, and suddenly came upon this really obscure song from a Canadian film animation that I used to sing to him ( with a few personal word changes, to customize it ). The band playing it was right on the chorus, which was the only part I had ever sung. I KNEW it was him, getting his message to me over electronics again, which is a very common way for spirits to communicate. Being that it was such a weird little song, one that I'd written down in a book to honour him, one that most bands would NEVER sing, and yet here it was, on the radio, and at Christmas time, was so far beyond coincidence that I just knew immediately my boy was granting my heart-filled request. I was elated and it got me through the holidays, just knowing our 'Bud' was there with us. In other years during Christmas, I would often hear "Silent Night" somewhere, when I was having a hard time with missing him. For the first few years I couldn't listen to ANY Christmas music anymore, being that I'd always sung carols to him with my feline-versions of the words. This particular carol was my most-often-used one for Sabin, so to have it 'sneak' in somewhere when I was pointedly avoiding music seemed quite uncanny to me.

He's also come in dreams at times, where the overriding feeling was always that, no matter the rest of the chaos going on in my dream, he was there with me, but beyond me having to worry about him, as he was completely SAFE now and nothing going on around us could change that....and I would relax, in my dream. Sometimes I would pick him up in my arms, experiencing once again the utter velvety silkiness of his fur, far beyond the way my mind simply remembered it in waking life ( he was known by all who touched him for his incredible fur ).

My guy.....SUCH a force for love he is! He stubbornly and forcefully made us adopt him ( and his sister ) and in the same fashion convinced his equally-stubborn Mom that "The cat came back, no, he wouldn't go a...waaaaayy". I will miss him until the day I, too, am once again Spirit.

"I dropped a tear into the ocean. The day you find it is the day I will stop missing you." ~author unknown~

Eliza, I would love to also hear about your own ADC's from Winnie, or any of your other furbabies, if you care to share them.

[Eliza]

Hi Maylissa!

How nice to hear from you again! I loved reading about Sabin's ADC's! He sure is a loving little boy to be so good about sending you reassurance when you need it! His contacts with you are certainly nothing you can explain away or doubt. He absolutely has been staying in contact with you, and that is such a miraculous gift!!

I guess I have always been open to the idea of an afterlife / spirit world, but like you, I have grown up always wanting scientific proof of everything! The gift that my Winnie girl has given me is the absolute conviction, without scientific "proof," that she does indeed live on and that we will be reunited. I know that she was with us in the house just after she passed (she passed at the emergency vet clinic, but she followed me home!)

I may have mentioned some of this already, but on the evening she passed, I was in my living room and my cat Charlie was crouched down behind the recliner (which was odd anyway) growling like I've never heard him growl before (or since). I just felt sure that she was back there with him and freaking him out! A day or two later, our neighbor's cat was hanging around our front door, and decided to make a play for one of the catnip toys behind the recliner. I was watching her do it (because I thought it was cute!), when I noticed her draw up short and look very startled when she reached the same place behind the recliner that Charlie had been. She turned and ran back out the front door! I know Winnie was back there again, telling her to find her own catnip toys!

Also, in the first week or so, Winnie came to me in a dream so vivid and reassuring that I know it was her letting me know that she is healthy and happy. I was lying in bed in my dream when I heard her running into the room (she didn't really run the last couple of years of her life because of arthritis in her hips). She jumped right up onto the bed (which is very high -- she normally needed to get up by way of the footstool I placed at the end of the bed). She walked very purposefully over to me and threw her body against me to be petted. It seemed like she wanted me to see how young and healthy and strong she is now!! I could feel the solidity of her lovely body and her soft fur and it felt so absolutely real! When I woke up, I did feel disappointed that she wasn't physically there with me, but I also felt happy and peaceful knowing that she was sending me a sign that she's O.K.!

A couple of days later, I heard her sweet voice outside near my car. My cat Charlie was there, but I was looking at him when I heard her, so I know it wasn't him. I looked around for other cats, but there was no one else nearby. Plus, it was a very special "chirpy" sound she used to make when she was trying to get my attention regarding something important to her! So, I know she was trying to get a very important message across to me!

Also, I have felt her on the bed with me. (This has happened with all three of my furbabies after they passed.) I haven't had quite the vivid experience you did with Sabin right after he passed, but I definitely feel their presence and their weight on the bed, walking up from the foot of the bed to my side. There is a definite pressure on the bed, moving up the bed. And about a week and a half ago, I was waking up in the morning when I felt a pressure, the size of a paw, on the back of my hand. I knew it was Winnie, so I kept my eyes closed and enjoyed the sensation and sent out a thought to her that I knew it was her and that I was so grateful for the visit! When I finally opened my eyes, the pressure stopped.

Other things have happened, too, that I think were signs from her. Like little objects moving within the first week after she passed. And the fact that I saw a butterfly on the day after she passed. Lots of little things like that.

You also know that I've contacted an animal communicator and have talked to Winnie directly. I believe that Winnie led me to find her. I talked to Winnie a couple of times before she passed, saying that I wished there were some way to communicate with her better so that I could hear her thoughts on the chemotherapy we were trying. (I didn't want to put her through any discomfort if she would have preferred to go another route.) On the day that Winnie passed, I saw a movie called "Broken Flowers" in which Jessica Lange plays an animal communicator. This was the first I had heard of such people. I'd heard of animal psychics, but in the movie, Jessica Lange's character explains the difference between animal psychics and animal communicators. Then, in my grief after Winnie passed, the first book I bought was filled with references to animal communicators. I felt this certainty that I HAD to try to get in contact with Winnie. When I called to make the appointment, the animal communicator said, "Oh, Winnie is really eager to talk to you. She knew you would be trying to get in touch with her this way!"

The appointment took place a couple of days later. The communicator said a couple of things that didn't make sense to me, but mostly what she said was right on. I asked Winnie to tell me things that only she and I would know so that I would know it was really her. One of the things she said really struck me as the proof I needed. She said that one time I put her in a backpack and she didn't like it! (Yes, it sounds like a very strange thing to say!!) Well, I didn't exactly put her in a backpack, but one time my ex-husband, Dan, and I had just bought a Snuggli (a baby carrier you strap onto your back or front to carry your baby close to you) for my sister-in-law's baby shower. Before we wrapped it, we tried to put all three of the cats in it. Winnie was NOT going to put up with it, so we stopped trying with her, but I do have a picture of Dan wearing the Snuggli with Tommy in it! How in the WORLD would the animal communicator have come up with this on her own?!?!? Impossible. It was Winnie.

The thing I haven't told you is that one of the first things Winnie told me through the communicator is that she wants to come back! Tigger and Tommy are happy in Heaven and don't desire to come back, but Winnie wants to come back and be with me, and keep coming back until we can be together again in Heaven! Those were her words!

I've been a little freaked out by this, but also the thought has given me more peace and hopefulness than I could have expected this early on. (It's only been six weeks!) I'm still grieving for Winnie in the lovely form I'm so familiar with, and so it's been hard to think of her inhabiting another body. (Will she be at all the same? Will I be able to tell it's really her? Will I be disappointed if she's not exactly the way I remember her?) But, I'm starting to get used to the idea. The more I read about this phenomenon, the more I realize that I have to make sure my expectations are reasonable.

Winnie wants me to keep an eye out for a body for her, and says that she will come back as a kitty or puppy, boy or girl. This has been a really interesting experience for me. Until a couple of months ago, I might have scoffed at the idea of an animal reincarnating to be with a loved one. Now, I'm convinced that it's true, and not just because I want it to be! True, I like the idea very much that she's safe where she is and not having to go through any kind of pain. But, its such an extraordinary gift for her to be willing to come back and be with me, even though she will have to face danger and pain again! I'm so grateful to her for such love and devotion!

Anyway, this has been a very transitional time for me. I've become much more spiritually open than I have ever been before, and I have my lovely Winnie girl to thank for it! Just like your Sabin opened your eyes to things you've never thought possible before, Winnie is doing the same for me! What an amazing thing!!!

Thank you again for sharing your stories about Sabin and Nissa. I'm positive that these experiences are indeed contacts from your boy, and I'm glad you can feel some peace in knowing that you WILL all be together again someday!

Please write more soon!

Eliza

[tattoodlb]

Hi Eliza,

I am wondering if you could give me the name of the animal communicator and the books you were reading on communicating with animals that have passed?

I was enthralled with your story and the story of Sabin that I feel I should research this and maybe try to communicate with Smokey. I know how your grief must accompany you as mine does accompany me. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of Smokey.

I too, have also seen him and heard the noises he makes. I was sending my story to Cat Fancy last night and while I was typing away in my office, I heard the door open and shut as if Smokey was asking to come in like he used to do. I looked and then it stopped. I have also had the sensation of him on my bed with me.

Thank you for sharing your story. I will read more of the posts so that I get the whole thing.

Peace

DB (tattoodlb)

[MartyT]

I am wondering if you could give me the name of the animal communicator and the books you were reading on communicating with animals that have passed?

Dear DB,

I'm sure that Eliza will respond to your question too, but I thought you might also want to take a look at the Animal Communicators / Alternative Healing page of my Grief Healing Web site, where you will find links to many such resources.

Wishing you peace and healing,

Marty T

[Eliza]

Hi DB,

I'm so glad to hear that you've experienced ADCs from your Smokey! It IS really comforting, isn't it? Granted, it's not as nice as having them physically with us (yes, I do continue to think of my Winnie girl every day...), but it's so nice to know that they're still around, perfectly safe and healthy, and keeping in touch!

The book on animal communication that I found to be most helpful after losing Winnie was "Animals and the Afterlife" by Kim Sheridan. I got my copy from amazon.com, but I think they have a website for the book and you can buy it from them directly. I found it to be very inspiring! And this is definitely coming from someone who never would have dreamed such things were possible a few months ago! Now it feels like my eyes have truly been opened to what is really possible!

I've now talked with two animal communicators. Annette Betcher is the one who helped me contact Winnie. She is located in Washington state, where I am, and has a website at www.hurricane.net. She has some interesting stories on her website about contacting lost animals and helping them get found! I found those to be the most helpful, because what she was able to tell people about where the animals were located was corroborated by the owners when they found them!

The other is Mary Getten, who helped me communicate with the two kitties who are still with me. I was really impressed with what she told me about what they were saying because she totally nailed their personalities and what they'd been up to and I told her NOTHING about them at the beginning except their names! Her website is at www.rockisland.com.

Of course, you may want to look for an animal communicator that is close to you. Not because they need to be physically close (they can contact Smokey from anywhere), but you will be paying the long distance charges. Just be very sure that you've found a good one. I've heard that there are some charlatains out there who will mess with your head and take your money. This is far too important a communication to leave it to criminals! Those animal communicators with websites usually have testimonials from people who have helped them, which I found to be useful.

Best of luck on your talk with Smokey! Let us know how it goes!

Eliza

[tattoodlb]

Many thanks to you Eliza and Marty, I will certainly take advantage of the information you have provided. I appreciate your support and it is very awkward, but I have MORE grief and tears for my beloved Smokey (cat) than I did for my own mother, whose death was also a shock. My counselor says because the scope of the relationship I had with Smokey was deeper than the relationship I had with my mother. I feel guilty somehow for feeling so depressed for Smokey after not having the same depth of feeling for my mother's death. I was in a state of confusion with my mother's death, but now with Smokey's death, I am despondent and I cry frequently. I also had to put down my dog 2 weeks before Smokey's death, due to tongue cancer with possible metastasis to her brain, she was just not the happy dog I had had for 10 years. So, cumulative I lost my dog on Sept 2, Smokey on Sept 15, and my mom's 2 year death anniversary was August 23; it feels that I am being smothered by emotions and trying to sort them out and deal with them in a constructive manner. I eat healthy, I exercise daily and I am planning on taking the course Marty offers for pet bereavement. I have been trying to get my hands on as many helpful books that I can. My current book, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold Kushner is very enlightening. I am enjoying this book, and I recommend it to those whose faith waxes and wanes with things that happen in their lives.

[Maylissa]

Dearest Eliza,

Oh, I'm so glad you shared your ADC's, too!! Aren't are kidlets just GRAND?!! Those were some pretty powerful messages from Winnie! I have to admit to being envious of you hearing her, as this was one type I was actually expecting from Sabin. He and his sister have some Oriental blood in them, as they've both always been very loud and vocal. In particular, there was a call he used to do when he was frustrated that no one was playing with him at the moment, after he’d gone to the trouble of getting all hyped-up and everything! He'd let out this really gutteral yowl that I've never heard from any other cat and I SO hoped I'd hear it one fine day, when I least expected it. That would have been part of the pleasure since I'd sometimes get startled by his yowl! It was sort of like a "YOWoo!", but from really far back in the throat. But although he never came through with that, strangely enough, Nissa started emulating it after a few months, and it's evolved to the point where there's little distinction between her voice and his now when doing this yowl! The sad part is that I'm actually starting to forget some of his less common talk. It really panics me. For Nissa, I started recording her in different moments, so this would be less likely to happen, but I don't have anything like that for my boy, so must rely strictly on memory.....which has become severely compromised with my 3 losses.

Regarding scientific 'proof', from what I've read and heard about the different physics theories from the last 70 years ( which they don't seem to be teaching yet! ), it shouldn't be too long before all things 'supernatural' will become not only more accepted, but more explainable and even normal. Yeah! So I still have hope that both sides of me ( and you ) will be satisfied to a greater degree.

There IS a tangible difference in these dreams that are more than just dreams, isn't there? Words of explanation don't do them justice because it's that feeling that it's as real as waking life that is so apparent. I'm so glad you had the same experience with Winnie...and isn't it wonderful when we can feel them again so normally?

Your Snuggli reference was fabulous, too! Yes, these are the kinds of validations that make or break a reading. A skeptical friend of mine always counters with something like, "Well, you could easily argue that that would be a common thing for someone to do ( or have, or have happen, etc. ), so they're just guessing..." but I always believe that out of the dozens of things one could pick from, how is it that they so often get it right? I think the odds would defy such guesswork. I also know of other, very specific validations from one communicator in particular ( who can't work right now ) that aren't common at ALL, as they're specific to odd behaviours between feline pals, so I buy those skeptical arguments even less than how much I listen to my own inner skeptic.

Your butterfly mention also reminded me of something else I forgot to write about. The day we buried Sabin was a hot and windless day in July. ( we'd actually kept him in the deep-freeze until we had everything we needed and I was ready to give up his body - yes, I'm VERY slow to process grief!! ). His funeral lasted most of the afternoon, again, until I felt the time was 'right' and I could let his body go. I had 12 black balloons and one white one ( for the white tip on the end of his tail ), filled with helium and ready to be released after I read a poem I'd selected for him ( as well as MANY other readings for the rituals indoors beforehand ). I was worrying that they'd just get stuck in our trees close by because it was so very still. Well, just as I was getting ready to release them, this puff of wind came along, I let them go and they sailed straight up into the blue! I KNEW it was my boy’s doing, as he’d been a total nutbar for wind. The gustier it was, the more mental he’d get, zooming from one place to another, teasing me into an uninhibited game of Tag! And here he was again, making sure his service went perfectly, to suit his perfectionist Mom, and to echo his personal tastes! There was no more wind for the rest of the day ( I kept checking on this, just to be sure ). I read a few more selected passages and followed up with my favourite song for him ( the same one he sent me via the radio that later Christmas ), after which we finished the burial by placing the stone slab overtop. As soon as that was completed, an orange butterfly ( a pretty rare colour in our parts back then ) wafted overtop his grave, from the stone to a plant on one side and back again a number of times, though I was sitting right there, yet moving. I later looked up the meanings of both “butterfly” and “orange” – lightheartedness, freedom, the freed soul and immortality, and happiness and independence, respectively. Perfect!

And like your story about the movie, I had many little instances of T.V. scripts or themes of shows, left, right and center that seemed to answer my questions and doubts about my boy and his whereabouts, for many months afterwards. I should have written them all down, though, as I’ve forgotten now what they each were about!

I’m so happy for you that Winnie put her reincarnation plans in the exact words that she did! What a blessing! With Sabin, the first time I asked about that, he was undecided, which was fine by me, as I was unsure, too. This last time, I didn’t even ask, but I was seeking assurance that he’d be there to greet me when my time came. If this last one is to be believed ( and the jury’s still out on this ), he might not still be there, but said if it was my time, he’d “find a way to make it happen”. I asked how he’d even know that it was my time if he wasn’t living with me, and was assured that he would indeed know. I don’t know how this would work, but if it’s true, I’d trust him to find a way. I have personally heard of cats who came back, instances where there was no doubt it was the same one even if their bodily appearance was different. For instance, there was one where the passed cat had loved fava beans, of all things, and nothing else excited her so! When this cat reincarnated very soon after its passing, the ‘new’ cat, who in this case did look almost identical, not only exhibited many of the same personality traits and behaviors, but scoffed a bunch of fava beans as soon as they were made available! That’s pretty specific, if you ask me! It ‘proved’, as much as this is possible, to her guardian, that it was her, as she’d been doubting it.

It does my heart good to know you’ve become open to the wondrous possibilities and different realities of this Universe, and who knows how many others? The physical laws definitely aren’t governed by what we were taught they are, and for that, we can be thankful, and wonder-struck! Please let me know if and when you get any more as there’s nothing like happier moments like these to keep my faith growing!….or just to chat, or share memories of our dear and precious furkids.

Love,

Maylissa

[Maylissa]

tattoodlb,

I, too, share your feelings of having had more grief for your furbaby than for your own mother. It took me 3 years of pretty heavy mourning for my Sabin to be able to live more normally again ( my H had bet 2 yrs. at least, knowing me and our respective relationships ), whereas, while I'm still mourning my Mom and brother ( only been not quite 2 yrs. for both ), and it's been pretty awful for my Mom's passing especially, it was far and away worse for Sabin's. To me, it was perfectly logical, never mind what society said. My furboy was my child and I was totally responsible for him and his health and safety. I've also never experienced as deep and enlightening a relationship with anyone else as I did with him ( although his remaining sister, Nissa, is equally as loved, and in different ways, even more so, as she got me through his passing, my Mom's and brother's, too ). But at the time, he was the first HUGE loss I'd had since childhood and nothing else has compared so far. ( again, with Nissa, I'm sure to be even worse, as she's our last furbaby ) Your counselor put it perfectly and it was the same for me. While I love my Mother dearly, with Sabin I didn't have the same emotional baggage as in my relationship with my Mom, AND with both my furkids, not only did they love me pretty unconditionally ( no, I don't believe it's always totally unconditional, even with animals, who ARE fully aware of who treats them well and who doesn't! ), but they were the first and so far only individuals who I've ever been able to love mainly unconditionally back, and that is no small matter! It's rare as rare can be in this world. There's NO reason to feel guilty, unless you prefer to listen to the biases of a society that most often thinks of animals merely as disposable toys or ornamentation for the house. We've been brainwashed into accepting nonsense. If you loved Smokey then you do everything right by him by grieving. Personally, I don't have any respect for anyone who is NOT affected much by their animal companion's passing....in short, I think they're totally wrong.

The fact that you've had so many passings so close together, just as I've had, only complicates the entire process. Believe me, I know how incredibly tough that is! With nerves already frayed and heart so raw and empty, it's not an easy task to start living again. I congratulate you on taking such proactive steps for yourself as every little bit helps. When I need to, if it's still available, I will likely take Marty's course, too. Right now, I just can't even think about that time, as I'm sad enough as it is. You might also like reading books by human mediums, as many of them also have short sections on animal loss. Another one that I HAD to have is "The Soul of Your Pet - Evidence for the Survival of Animals After Death" by Scott S. Smith. VERY enlightening! I've often wondered about that book you're reading and now might actually try it, as my faith overall isn't quite at 100%, where I'd like it to be.

[Maylissa]

I thought you might also want to take a look at the Animal Communicators / Alternative Healing page of my Grief Healing Web site, where you will find links to many such resources.

Marty T

Dear Marty, (and everyone else)

I had forgotten myself about this section, so thank-you for mentioning it here! I was especially interested to find the link to Rita Reynold's new website. I'd emailed Rita a few times when I lost Sabin, and also bought her fabulous book (!) and found her to be such a helpful, loving woman, who gave me some much-needed emotional help and support during the most intense stage of my grief. Her quarterly publication LaJoie is also simply marvelous! Since viewing her website ( still partly in the works ), I found one section in particular that I think would benefit everyone here as it relates to ADC's. Strangely, it's the section on "Animal Hospice", but it contains references to ADC's. She's also soliciting ADC's from others for possible inclusion in another book ( I may just write her again myself! ). She has wonderful ways with words in talking about animals and their paths in life, dying and after-death, so I encourage everyone to read as much as you can by her!

Edited January 24, 2006 by Maylissa

[MartyT]

Maylissa, dear,

I couldn't agree with you more, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell our visitors more about Rita Reynolds and her amazing work. She is a loving, compassionate woman with a deeply spiritual connection to animals and to people, a gifted writer and a dear friend. She is the founder of Howling Success, an animal sanctuary located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia. She is currently establishing a community hospice program for animals and their human families.

Rita is the founder and editor of laJoie, The Journal in Appreciation of All Animals, and I too am a longtime subscriber. Described as "a quarterly publication dedicated to promoting appreciation for all beings through education, adoption/sponsorship and inter-support programs," the journal is published by laJoie and Company, P.O. Box 145, Batesville, VA 22924, Web site Blessing the Bridge, e-mail lajoieco1@aol.com.

An excerpt from Rita's book appears on the Comfort for Grieving Animal Lovers page of my Web site; you can access it directly by clicking on Euthanasia: The Merciful Release. Read Amazon's description and reviews of her book by clicking on Blessing the Bridge: What Animals Teach Us about Death, Dying and Beyond

Marty T

[tattoodlb]

My tears of gratitude for all of you are running down my face. I feel so connected to you all reading your posts and sharing my own story. Thank you for responding and helping out. Sharing is so important to me right now, I really appreciate it.

Thank you for the links to sites and for recommendations of people and books that will be helpful. I have had other pets pass on, but somehow I feel that Smokey was my soul mate (in a cat's body) and he just knew me like no one else did and he accepted me.

Maylissa, thank you for your heartfelt reply and for taking the time (you, too Eliza, and Marty). Your descriptions of how you feel about your furry friends is simply love in and of itself, pure love and that is probably why it hurts so much not having our little loves here with us any more. When love is lost in its physical sense (body), it seems to take a piece of us with it.

I'm glad for this forum and I am very greatful to you for sharing and making this journey, painful as it is, easier to bear.

[Maylissa]

DB,

I"m so glad we can help in ANY way. I remember how I was so consumed with grief that I could hardly even thank anyone for any help I did get. I was just in dire NEED, NEED, NEED! So share, or grieve, away to your heart's content! I feel Sabin is definitely my soulmate, too, our bond is so, well...natural, and powerful. He brought out the best in me, in so many ways. And isn't that just what we look for in human companions? What's the difference in what form our companions are in? I still yearn for the FEEL of his body, though, just as you're doing....it just doesn't occupy my every waking moment anymore. But when I feel that urge, I can't wait to join him! And if he wasn't there to greet me, I don't know what I'd do, because without a body anymore, I wouldn't even be able to do away with myself! Now that would be my idea of Hell!

There's also another book, which I haven't read yet, that supports the belief that animals do indeed have souls and go where we're going in spirit, using many passages of scripture, if that's important to you. ( me, I'd like to order it so I'm prepared for all the counter-arguments I get from the many non-believers I seem to DRAW LIKE FLIES to me! ) It's called "There is Eternal Life for Animals" by Niki (I think it's Behikis) Shanahan.

[tattoodlb]

I have had a very interesting ADC (or so I think anyway) from my Smokey.

Since Smokey died, my ferret, Pogo, has been acting weird (for a ferret). He actually acts like Smokey used to by stretching up on my legs, licking me, being very friendly and needy, just looking at me like Smokey used to. It is eerie, and at one point I called him Smokey and he layed down next to me and licked my hand. If anyone knows ferrets, they do not sit still very long, and Pogo just sat near me and looked at me and I thought for a minute that it was Smokey.

Maybe I am losing my mind but he totally acted like Smokey used to and I picked him up and cried. Pogo has actually gained quite a bit of weight for a ferret, he is close to 5 lbs, which is unusual in an animal so small. Smokey was 15 lbs and the vet said he was a big cat...

Anyway, there has to be a Rainbow Bridge because I certainly want to be with Smokey again, he was my soul mate and a big chunk of me went with him when he died. I just keep remembering the love and friendship we had and I am amazed that animals really have such an overwhelming capacity to make life worth living!!

[Maylissa]

Dear DB,

It's good to hear from you again, and I'm so happy for you, as it sure sounds like Smokey is using Pogo ( and what a cute name ) to let you know he's still keeping close to you. I think I know what you mean about it feeling a little weird, as the supposed boundaries between our loved ones are blurred when this kind of thing happens. Perhaps it will help to think of it this way: If it's true that there really IS no separation between us All, then it becomes easier to see and believe that another supposedly 'separate' form of a being can 'house' another's energy/essence, even at the same time as that other one is IN form. ( I hope that makes sense ) This is my loose theory on how this can occur, anyway. If Pogo keeps displaying Smokey's behaviours, you might just get used to it so that you can relax a bit and have a conversation with Smokey, just believing that he's right there for the moment. This is what I'd do with Nissa, when she'd start doing some Sabin-like thing, and honest-to-God, she'd often stop and just listen to whatever short comment I'd make to Sabin. After a few of these occurances, I got to the point of looking very forward to them....after which they didn't happen as much! So my advice to you is to try and enjoy them for whatever they're worth, for as long as they happen.

I can't remember now if I'd also mentioned that I also swore one particular robin who hung around alot the first year Sabin was gone, was also carrying Sabin's spirit here for several visits...but I still think so today. And I still miss my precious boy, my Sweet Boo-Boo. I haven't heard from him in the longest time now....and I hope he hears this thought and swings by soon....