Dear Ann,

The past few days here have been really rainy and stormy. We all
know that when this happens it's just the Big Guy's way of keeping
everything nice and green and in full bloom for all of us to enjoy.....
And I think he also does this because many of us abhor a bath, but we
absolutely LOVE a light shower or a puddle to play in. Then there are
the magnificent rainbows that can be seen far and wide afterwards and
they are so true in color that rainbows down there fail to compare.

It was to one of these beautiful rainbows that I opened my front door
on this early Sunday morning. Aside from the fresh clean air I could
smell, and of course the rainbow itself, the next welcoming sight which
greeted me was the handsome face of my brother Hobbes. This warmed me
most because not only because was I happy to see him, but I also knew
that his arrival meant that I had an assignment to see to. I invited
him in for a spot of ferretone and a foamy fry or two, and we sat
chatted for a bit before he handed over the file, well not really a
file, but more of a lovely parchment scroll wrapped in an ivory colored
ribbon. The thing was, as he grabbed the parchment out of his courier
bag, he had a sudden case of butter fingers and dropped it. The next
thing I knew the scroll bounced several times and the ribbon came
untied and it came to rest, fully opened, right in between the two of
us. Hobbes smiled at me and told me he was sorry, but I can tell you
that neither one of us went to pick it up right away, because we were
too busy reading all of the names on it.

I looked at those neatly written names, and then I looked at Hobbes,
and as casual as possible I asked, "Ummm Hobbes, certainly the Big Guy
doesn't think I can greet ALL of these fuzzbutts at once??"

He did that eye-rolling thingy and said, "Silly Fuzz, you only have one
to greet..... Well actually two that is, the others are the names of
their brothers and sisters we need to find and bring with us to the
greeting!"

I'll admit, I did a double take because there were so many names on it,
and while I could picture was just how happy Bonnie would be to see
them all, my main concern was in making sure they would all be there
in time to see her cross over. I knew that I could not do this all by
myself, so being the smart fellow I am, I took that list, and tore it
in two and handed one half to Hobbes and told him he would need to get
going if he expected to find them all. He just looked at me with this
astonished look on his face and said, "Pie that was OFFICAIL business,
written on OFFICAIL paper!!! How am I going to explain this to the
courier supervisor?"

I smiled at him, and then opened one of the drawers in the antique
secretary I have sitting in my foyer and pulled out a roll of that
invisible cello tape and handed it to him, "You can use this of course,
it's invisible, see, it says it right on the package!" - And I showed
him exactly where it was written - Oh I felt so proud of myself, so
very crafty, so quick on my claws..... that is until Hobbes told me
that the last time he was *allowed* the use of cello tape, he ended up
taping himself to the carpet in his office and had to be rescued by
another courier who just happened to be in the office next to his.

"It was that new girl Lucy, and she's so cute and I really like her
and for her to see me ..... Well, it was quite embarrassing to say the
least. So no, NO cello for me!"

I quickly took back the tape and told him, in that case *I* would fix
the scroll afterwards and then off we went. My half of the list had ten
names on it. There was Bandit, Casey, Casper, Clyde, Cinnamon, Frosty,
Jullian, Marble, Minka and Peanut. Hobbes list had nine names on his.
Pebbles, Pepper, Precious, Sabrina, Sam, Snoopy, Rosie, Wrigley and
Zoe, and of course the main reason why I was out looking for the ten
on my list..... Bonnie of course!

It always amazes me that when a loved one is getting ready to pass over
our way, that somehow those who knew him or her can actually sense it.
They know that something is up, perhaps it is a change in the air, like
maybe the sweet remembered scent of that fuzzy, or maybe they can hear
a well known dook of familiarity. What ever it is, when the time comes,
these loved ones will find themselves being drawn to the Bridge. So
even as I worried that I would not find them all in time, I did,
because most of them found me. It was Clyde who found me first though,
and she was so excited that she bounced all over the place when she saw
me. I told her that I was suppose to be greeting her as well and she
looked at me said that I was to consider her greeted and to get my fuzz
butt a moving, because she had things to do, ferrets to find and so on.

Then she stopped and looked me right in my eyes and asked if I had ever
known what it was like to be *that* close to someone and then to be
separated, not ever knowing when you would see them again and I told
her, that I did, and I told her about my littler-sister was still earth
bound and that not a day went by in which I did not think about her.
Then she grabbed me by the paw and off we ran.

On the way Clyde told me she knew where the others were. She said that
they had been meeting at the Viewing Pool every day for the last few
weeks. They had been looking in on Mommy and Cody, Stitch and Hershey,
Jazzy, Jamie, Snickers, Zoe, Rascal and Gideon, but most of all they
were looking over Bonnie and making plans for her eventual arrival.
When we got to the Viewing Pool, I found Hobbes already there as well
as his half of the list in tow. I remember counting each and every fur
kid to make certain we had found them all and sure enough there were
nineteen warm and wonderful fuzzy faces all in a long row. I remember
thinking, what a beautiful assortment of colors, kind of like a fuzzy
rainbow.

Clyde then pulled me aside and told me that she and the other had been
working on these beautiful garlands. She said she wanted to make two
lines of her brothers and sister and have them hold the garlands so
that when Bonnie came across, she would not only see that everyone was
here for her, but also that her arrival was meant to be every bit as
lovely as she is. She then organized us into two teams and we each took
a hold of those beautiful garlands and began to make our way to the
Bridge. As we walked I began to sing and then the other picked up on it
and sang along. It's an old Seals & Croft song that my mum used to sing
to me, and while she, and now I have changed the words, the idea is
still the same. It's about how much we are always loved no matter where
we are and that life should always be celebrated as the unique and the
wondrous gift it is.

Today while the rainbows are shinin' and we walk on and on, we'll play
for you. So many will be the blessings and so short will the time
before you arrive and well wait for you. But we'll play for you, we
love you yes we do. You can say that we're your friends; You can see on
your journey here how it began And where it will end. And we'll always
play for you. Hear the band, hear the band. Won't you let the music
take you, hear the band. And let this morning go on forever, and don't
you ever stop the music. Let your spirit set you free. Hear the band,
hear the band. You can sing and stomp you paws and clap your hands. And
these in a few moments we'll share all together and we'll play for you.
We've practiced many years, and have come a long, long way just to play
for you. Our life is but a song that God has written in many ways, just
to say to you. To say, He love's you yes he do. And He'd like for you
to be Whatever you would like to be. You'll always be special to Him.

Hear the band, hear the band. Won't you let the music take you, hear
the band. And let this night go on forever, and don't you ever stop the
music. Let your spirit at last be free.Hear the band, hear the band.
You can sing and stomp you paws and clap your hands. And in a few
moments we'll share all together, and we'll play for you.

So we had rainbows, and we had clear beautiful skies. We had garlands a
plenty and we had what I guess you could consider a twenty-one ferret
salute, and then, in just a few short moments after we arrived and
Clyde got us all in place .... well we had Bonnie. Lovely, sweet,
shoe-loving Bonnie, which I suppose makes a nice complement to that
sensational ankle biting Clyde! Hobbes and I just stood back and
watched as everyone encircled her in welcome as well as in love. It was
such a magical moment and one I thought should be shared alone with
family. I quietly motioned for Hobbes to leave with me, and back home
we started. I know that from time to time we kept looking back over
our shoulders to see this blessed reunion because it both warmed and
touched us deeply.

We got back to my place soon enough, and I offered up the cello tape to
fix the scroll with and I began looking around my person for my half of
the scroll. Hobbes reached into his courier bag for his half, but when
he pulled it out, we both saw that the scroll was in one piece and that
the ribbon was neatly tied back on it. He told me it had to have been
the Big Guy rewarding us for a job well done, and I readily agreed!

In Love & In Comfort,
Pie O' Pah

[Posted in FML 6052]