Dear Joan,

Forgive me for this greeting coming so late, but we just had our first
snow of the season, and when that happens, well I have to be honest,
most of us drop what we are doing and put on our tiny little mittens
and pull on our comfy warm welly's and we go sledding! I have one of
those old fashioned ones, the kind with the steel rails and wooden body
and I love the way it feels to come flying down a good sized hill with
two or three of my best friends hanging on for dear life. My brother
Obi is a real dare devil, he likes to slide down the hill "otter
style", as we say here - as in on the belly!!! With that silly head
gear he wears and those old time goggles, and that long silk scarf
flying back behind him, well I can tell you that we all get a good
laugh out of seeing him fly down any hill on that large tummy of his.

So here we were, in the middle of a good snow ball fight, when Hobbes
came huffing over to us. Now he's not the sort that enjoys wet weather
of any kind and will do everything he can to avoid going out on rainy
or snowy days, but when he does go out, well he will dress, from head
to toe, in all manner of water-proofed warmness. I only wish I had a
way of sending you photo's of just how ridiculous he looked, because
you would laugh yourself silly over it , but since I can't, I'll try
and make do with a good description of him. On his head he wore this
neon-green, knitted, beanie cap with a gold and red puff ball on the
top of it, he also had on one of those puffy winter suits (also in
neon green) a turquoise, silver and white plaid scarf, with matching
mittens, and a large pair of well-worn pair, dark brown wellingtons.
This suit was so filled with down that it was near impossible for him
to put his arms down at his side, and all you could see of him was his
sable mask! Dressed as he was, he was unable to carry his usual courier
bag - well not so much as carry it, as it is getting anything out of
it. So I guess what he did was have one of the gals at the office put
each one of his greeting orders into a zip lock bag and then she safety
pinned the bags to his suit. I swear, he looked like ghastly, garish
over decorated Christmas tree.

Huffing and puffing and making all sorts of grumbling noises and when
he got to me, he abruptly turned around and began mumbling something. I
went around to face him and pulled the scarf away from his mouth so he
could tell me that my orders where located on his back near his right
shoulder, and could I please only remove the order and leave the zippy
bag pinned on him in case he needed it. So I rewrapped his scarf,
whirled him around, got out my orders and then set him off onto his
next delivery.

My favourite types of greeting orders are ones in which there are
already family members here waiting for them. It matters not that they
never met, or maybe they did, but only briefly, or they knew that
fuzzit for years, all that matters is the love that is waiting for
those that cross over to our side. So when I opened Aniston's order
and saw all of the names, I was overjoyed at being able to bring with
me so many wonderful fur kids to her greeting. My first stop was to
find Desiderio the Ferret. Desi is one of the most kindest, most
compassionate souls that I know, and it it easy to see why fuzzits
flock to her, and I mean flock! All one has to do is look for the fur
kid with the biggest crowd around them and there you will find Desi!
Today I found her at the Kit Pavilion in the midst of several dozen
kits. They were sitting in a semi-circle around her and she had one of
my favourite Bach books perched in her lap, "Air Ferrets Aloft". She
was reading to them in such a lively and animated manner that I could
not help but sit and enjoy listening for a bit. After she had finished
the final chapter, and she was able to shooed the kits off to go and
enjoy some snow play, she came over to me and we talked for a bit.

"I see that Aniston is on her way to us", she said, "I've been looking
in on mom everyday, and trying my best to send her comfort, but it's
been difficult for her because Aniston was with her for such a short
span of time and then she was gone. Mom is just worried that when she
gets here she will be alone."

"You and I know she won't be alone, and as for your mum, well ALL mums,
and dads to for that matter.....well they are all worry warts, don't
you know that? It's part of their job to worry, just as it is part of
my job to let them know that their fur babies arrived here safely and
are waiting for the day when they will be reunited." I said.

"So I guess all that is left is for us to find everyone and get going
to the Bridge?" she said.

And off we went. This was an easy find for the both of us, because
Bandit, Rascal, Gracie, Shadow, Ivan, Rusty, Cyrus, Zoe, Chance, Beka,
Waffles, and Leizl happened to be the group I had been involved with in
that snow ball fight I told you about. It was them on one side and me,
Maharet, Macari, Obi, Raphael, Tischa, Rascal, Princess, Jynx, Hotspur,
Bear Bear, Autumn and Ping Is He on the other side, and BOY can Ping
hurl a snow ball like there's no tomorrow!

It was such a grand and beautiful day. The sky was cloudless and a deep
shade of powder blue and here we were, all twenty six of us, walking
paw in paw and making our way to the Bridge. When we got there we had
found snow birds were just finishing decorating the trees and the
Bridge opening with icicles and frosted pinecones, and there were large
white pillar candles set up and lit all up and down the Bridge itself.
It was dreamy and perfect and soon the Bridge began to glow and then,
entering from the soft mist came Aniston. She was every bit as spritely
and as cute as Desi has described her to me and she was war dancing her
way over. It was heart-warming to see her so joyful and radiant and I
know this is because Desi made sure that when she was ready to come to
the Bridge, she was there waiting for her, to guide her on her way.
Don't ask me how she does it, but she *can* literally be in two, three,
even four places at one time. And so she was there with you, offering
her love and comfort, and she was with Aniston helping her being her
journey over here and she was with all of those adorable kits reading
"Air Ferrets Aloft".

So as you can see Aniston arrived here safely, healthy and with words
of love for you.

"I know I was there for only a little bit mom, but in that time I grew
to love you so very much. Both Pie and Desi told me that I can see you
anytime I want, because they have this viewing pool here where all I
need to do is say your name and I can see you anytime I want, and if
you go outside, when it's really dark out, and look up in the sky for
twinkling stars, that's us looking down on you and I promise to look
in on you every night, until you get here ok?"

We at the Bridge, are but one door away from you, and one day, when
that time comes around, and you are called home, you pass through it
into the arms and paws of those who love you best.

In Love & In Comfort,
Pie O' Pah

[Posted in FML 6202]