Dear Sue,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but we had one heck of a
weekend up here ..... but I'm getting ahead of myself here .... It was
a sunny Thursday morning when my brother Hobbes started pounding on my
front door, and when I didn't get there fast enough he began ticking
his nails, and smooshing his face on my windows. I have to tell you
that I let him do that for a few more seconds longer because he looked
so darn funny, but he saw me and started pounding even more.

"I see you Pie, I see you! You gotta come out here, now, now, now!!",
and then he held up his courier bag and gave it a little shake.

I knew better then to make him wait, so out I went! He continued
dancing about and making these little whooping-dook dook noises, and
then he opened up his courier bag and handed me my next assignment.
I quickly opened the scroll and discovered it wasn't just a greeting
but a special request from home and one for which I would need a very
special way of sharing it.

Now normally we don't have much use for electronics up here, but
on this particular occasion I felt a need to ask for a special
dispensation in order to make this particular announcement and so I
sent Hobbes back to the Big Guy to see if we could make what I want
done possible. Then I set out looking for just the right ferrets to
help me out with this little venture. My first pick was Sammy, and I
knew right where I would find him too. When he arrived here his only
request was that we get him a pom pom box to sleep in, and that it
should smell like the real thing, like home and mom that is. It wasn't
a difficult having one made, because we have this simple and humble
shop where the more mechanically inclined of us fuzzits design, make
and manufacture all sorts of things to help us deal with leaving our
loved ones behind.

Sammy was curled up in his pom pom box with this funny little smile on
his face. So I gently shook the box, but he kept right on sleeping and
then I could hear him ..... and Sue, he was singing in his sleep. I
could only make out a little bit of it, but what I did hear made me
smile and think of home.

"You'll be with me, and I with you, we'll never apart that's true. In
close green lands, or distant ridge, together always at the Bridge." he
then smiled this wonderful little smile and woke up with a deep sigh. I
introduced myself and told him what I had in mind and asked if he could
help me find Storm, Nikki, and Scarlett. Oscar. Tori and Princess were
an easy find because they spend a lot of their time in the dog park
keeping Violet and April busy. The park is really nice and has all
sorts of things for puppies and dogs to enjoy, even ferrets have fun
playing there too.

The Rainbow Bridge is a temporary place of existence for us until we
are reunited with our loved ones.... our hoomans that is ..... and
while we are here, we are able to find our other furry, feathered,
scaly and fin brothers and sisters that we knew in life, and even some
we may have never met, but are family all the same, because the love we
shared with our families ties us together. So whether we are ferrets or
dogs..... cats or birds ...... snakes, lizards, or even coy, we come
here to be cared for by the Big Guy in charge, with a little help from
the many different angels up here, until you guys are ready to cross
over yourselves.

The last guy we got to was Kringle, and I have to tell you, he still
has that thing he does with his head down to an art form ..... so much
so that fuzzit gals far and wide flutter to him like colorful, fuzzy
butterflies. II'm serious, it took us nearly 20 minutes to get his
flock of admirers to let him go, and that was AFTER we promised to
bring him back as soon as we were done with him!!!

I remember racing to the Bridge and hoping that Chance was taking his
time during his journey here. I know that seeing a long line of fuzzits
running usually draws the attention of others, so by the time we got
there I bet you there was every bit of six dozen ferrets all waiting to
see who was arriving. Chance began his walk over, but then he stopped
and we could all see that something wonderful was going on, because he
got this silly smile on his face, and then his ear began to twitch a
bit and he walked over to this side.

I let all of his brothers and sisters greet him first, and they did so
in full fuzzit-tackle fashion I might add. I remember looking at my
pocket watch and seeing that it was nearly a quarter to nine, so I told
Chance there was some place we needed to be and that I would explain on
the way over. I then asked him what he had stopped for, on the Bridge
and he told me that there was this thing you use to do to him that made
him giggled all over and feel safe and sound and so deeply loved.

"She use to whisper right behind my ear that she loves me, and it
would make me shiver all over, but it also made me feel so completly
wonderful. I stopped because I wanted to hear her whisper to me one
more time Pie, because I'm gonna miss her so much."

I told him all about the Viewing Pool, and he could go there as often
as he wanted to see how you were doing, but that for tonight, that you
had something very special in mind just for him. When we got there, it
was nice and quiet. One of the things I had asked after was that the
Pool be free for at least a half hour so that we could be there for a
special message from home. Since it would be Chance's first time using
it, I wanted to make certain he heard and saw everything.

At 9:00 p.m. exactly I called for you, and you appeared in the Pool.
Chance and the others could see you there, eyes closed, heart open,
listening to every thing you said, even if no words were spoken, we
could hear you, and then the kiss. The wonderful, soft, so full of
love kiss. He looked at me, with tear filled eyes and said, "I miss her
so much, can you tell her I love her and that I really wanted to stay.
I knew it was my time, but it didn't make it any easier leave and now
this.", and he gestured to the Pool. "Can you tell her I got here all
right and that I saw and felt her kiss?"

I told him that I would pass that along, but that I had a few more
things to share with him, and then I handed him an envelope with his
name on it ... yep, you guessed it, it was the letter you sent to me.
I told him it would probably make everyone really happy if he read it
out loud. We got everyone to quiet down and he began reading. When he
got to the part where you wrote about him dressed like a fisher, Hobbes
made his move and this HUGE screen appeared with Chance's picture on
it .... hat and all! Everyone began cheering and laughing and that was
only the beginning. Hobbes was able to put together a slide show of not
only Chance's life, but of all of the fur kids who have been a part of
your life. There were so many wonderful pictures and memories to be
shared. I liked the one of Dr. Parker and his staff, the one with all
of the balloons in it. There were ones of everyone I brought along,
including Samantha and Boots and quite a few others, and really, it
was the best time to be had by all of us. Each and every picture,
whether it was silly, or adorable, or out of focus, was full of the
love you gave to each and everyone of the fur kids on BOTH sides of
the Bridge ...... and that is how we spent our weekend up here.

Chance arrived into the paws of those who know and love him best on
this side of things, and like Storm, Nikki, Scarlett, Sammy, Kringle,
Oscar, Tori, Violet, April, Princess, Boots, Samantha and the others,
he will be waiting for you when it is your time to open that door to
heaven. Until then, they will continue to watch over you and any time
you want to see them, you know where to go, and anytime you want to
get a message to them, I would be more then happy to do.

In Love & In Comfort,
Pie O' Pah

[Posted in FML 6073]