It is with a heavy heart that I must announcement my retirement as a Rainbow Bridge Greeter but my time has come. I began as a Junior Bridge Greeter on July 20, 2004 and I greeted ferrets for people on the FML, many many private greetings for people, I was a resident greeter on a couple of ferret boards on the net, and I put together a collection of greetings in book form two Christmases ago. I enjoyed being a Rainbow Bridge Greeter and it was an experience I will always keep close to my heart. I think some people look at being a Bridge Greeter as it being easy to sit down and throw some words together on paper and somehow get it to come out right but that way of thinking couldn't be more wrong. Speaking for myself, when doing a greeting for a ferret, I would always take on a certain amount of the pain for that wee-one who had passed and also for those with the shattered hearts from the loss of a fuzzbutt who had been so loved and treasured. My heart also ached for those who had no one to love them, victims of abuse and neglect, and the many little ones who live out their final days in shelters with shelter moms overworked but still trying to do their best for all those in their care. Oftentimes people forget there is a real human behind the characters at the Rainbow Bridge and as the human behind SodaFerret and Muldoone, my health is very poor and combine that with the loss of my own ferrets, it has all become too much for me. The only thing I ask, please do not copy my work without permission. Over the past three years I have worked hard at being the best Rainbow Bridge Greeter I could be for you, hoping somehow my words would help you in finding some amount of closure and to reassure you that your angel made it safely to the Bridge and was being watched over and cared for. Muldoone, with his hammy-head-hair, Nanna, SodaFerret, MoonBeam Molly the magical unicorn; they were all my creations and I respectfully ask that they not be copied for use in stories. It is also my prayer that Bill finds a replacement so that your babies will be greeted at the Rainbow Bridge. [Moderator's note: There are over a dozen "applicants". I just need a bit of time to visit :-) BIG] [Posted in FML 5816]