Rainbow Bridge

A sunroom void of that sweet gray face as we pull up the driveway. A UPS delivery made without warning. The day's mail arriving through the slot without the milkbone thrown in along with the bills. This house is simply empty without Greta.

We have been showered with kind thoughts and remembrances for Greta this week, giving us a bit of reprieve from the grief of her absence. One of those wonderful gestures was a donation made by our contractors to the Oregon Weimaraner Rescue organization in Greta's name. The organization placed Greta's photo under the "Rainbow Bridge" section of its website, which honors weimaraners who have passed away but remain in our hearts.

I was not familiar with the term, "Rainbow Bridge," but a quick Google search revealed the tale of a special waiting place for our deceased animal friends who frolic and play until their beloved people cross the Rainbow Bridge and join them.

Today, we trekked over to the pet crematory to pick up Greta's ashes. It was pouring down rain, so Curtis ran into the building alone to fetch them. As he hopped back into the Jeep, he placed her remains, nicely contained in a flowery tin, in my lap. I felt tears brimming as the weight of the tin and the reality of its contents settled in. And then I heard Curtis exclaim, "Look!" On the horizon was the most vivid, gorgeous rainbow. So bright you could see each graduated shade within it. It was uncanny.

A rational person might say today's weather patterns led to that stunning rainbow. But I'd like to think that it was a sign from Greta, that she is indeed frolicking across that Rainbow Bridge. And it made me smile in spite of myself.