In light of the past few days and the pain and confusion a certain
person's post caused; as a former Bridge Greeter, I would like to be
heard.

As Muldoone, I was taken on as a junior Rainbow Bridge Greeter. I loved
being a greeter, truly enjoyed my time as a greeter and felt the pain
for each and ever human who was hurting and for each ferret I greeted.
After three years I began to burn out, yes it happens, no one knows or
realizes what we Bridge Greeters go through, and all the effort that
goes into a greeting. Personally I would contact the person who had
lost a ferret to get as much personal information as I could so I could
weave certain things into the story; bringing along a favorite toy or a
snuggly blankie from home. My greatest fear was always that I would in
some way cause more pain to the person I was trying to bring comfort to.

Later I created SodaFerret to be a Bridge Greeter and again I truly
loved every minute of each greeting I wrote. Each story was written
with love and with each story written, as the person writing the
greeting, I took on a measure of the pain the human was feeling and
over time it became too much for me. My health is not good and I just
couldn't do it anymore.

Sandee Ferret we had as a greeter, what a wonderful job she did. She
was there to greet each ferret and to give a measure of comfort.
SandeeFerret recruited me as a writer and I will always be grateful
to her for helping me to find something I could sincerely give from
my heart to someone who was hurting.

SaraFerret......what a truly wonderful and funny lady. As a fellow
greeter she and I spent many hours on the phone discussing greetings
and we developed a strong friendship and I can tell you from what I
know about this lady, she was, I am certain, cut completely to the core
with this. SaraFerret is a thousand time the greeter I ever was, she
has been on the job way before me and she is still there after the
retirement of both Muldoone and SodaFerret so that should tell you
something about the depth of love this lady feels for the job she does.

What I don't understand is this person's need to lash out at not only
SaraFerret but to try to hurt what we as Bridge Greeters; SaraFerret,
SandeeFerret, Muldoone, and SodaFerret have attempted to do. If you
don't believe there is a Rainbow Bridge that is fine, we are all
entitled to our own beliefs but for those of us who do believe and
truly need the Rainbow Bridge and need to believe SaraFerret is there
to greet our ferrets as they pass over, please respect our need for
that.

The position of a Rainbow Bridge Greeter is not a paying job, we all
did it because we love ferrets and we felt the pain others were going
through in the losses of ferrets and we wanted to help ease that hurt
if we could.

For me, the person behind Muldoone; the hammy-head-little boy who drove
Nanny up the wall but was there to try to ease the fears of newly
arriving ferrets, and for SodaFerret, the handsome sable male who sang
the Promise Song to each ferret arriving at the Bridge, it gives me
comfort to think my ferrets are being cared for until the day I get
there to gather them all to me and take them to our new home. I
respectfully ask that my beliefs not be stepped on or trashed.

The heart of a Rainbow Bridge Greeter is both soft and tender and my
heart is aching for SaraFerret and the unnecessary hurt that she has
been caused.

SodaFerret

[Posted in FML 6294]