What Is Rainbow Bridge?, Is it good enough for you?? Options

[Punky's Mommy]

I'm sure it came from some poetry somewhere. I've never heard of it before coming here. I'd love to read the origins of this place.

But my purpose in posting is more serious. I wonder if you really believe in a Rainbow Bridge? Faith is something we adopt in order to deal with the incomprehensible. It helps people to cope. But what if relying on faith leaves you feeling shallow and deluded? I hope Punky is not at the base of a Bridge with all other animals in all time who have passed on. I do HOPE that he is up there, if it is even up, and his domain is more than the base of a Bridge, and he is content and entertained and active, knowing I will join him soon. But there is no proof of this. I am destroyed thinking there might be nothing after death. Punky is gone. He is no more. Just POOF. Just as he did not exist before his birth.

I ask, is euphemism good enough for you? Don't you feel panicked that this real world might be all there is? If you say "The Bible says it is so" then you again are relying on Faith and I go back to my original question. I've never desired faith more so than I do now, but it leaves me completely unsatisfied.

It's a level of suffering that no one talks about on this board, but I suspect many of you have wanted to.

[CheriAnn]

Dear Punky's Mommy,

Your posting makes me feel so sad. You are experiencing doubts, and I think that is normal when someone is grieving. They start to question their beliefs and faith because of a terrible tragedy in their lives.

Not everyone is religious or believes in God, but many seem to be spiritual in one way or another. I hope I won't offend you or anybody, but in my own case, I had an experience that brought doubt. My neighbor started getting me involved in church with her. I started going every Sunday, started opening my heart and soul to God and attended Bible Study classes to understand the word of God. Within one month, that faith was tested!

I have always had problems getting pregnant. There was a time, years ago with my ex-husband, when I finally did become pregnant. On the very day I got the confirmation from the doctor's office, my ex-husband packed a U-Haul and left me. I came home from work to discover all this belongings gone! A few days later, our beautiful yellow labrador, Cosmo, (only 8 months old) was hit and killed by a car right at the end of my driveway. He died in my arms. I'm sure from the stress, but another few days later, I lost my precious baby. In one week I had lost my husband, my baby and my furbaby! I got angry and questioned why this could happen when I opened my heart and mind to a "concept" (what I called God at the time) that I couldn't see. I stopped going to church and started to question the sanity of others that attended and believed in such a "concept". Until one day, someone very wise pointed out to me that it didn't happen BECAUSE I was "belieiving". By beleiving and opening my heart, it was preparing me for that terrible week. I had God in my heart and life to actually HELP me. Instead of seeing the negative in faith, I just needed to see the positive, and that BECAUSE I was opening myself to God and his love, I was able to get through one of the hardest times of my life.

I beleive in God and I believe in Heaven. There have been too many other countless incidents in my life since then to NOT believe. So, I believe that our furbabies are God's precious creatures that live a pure life. There's just no way in my mind that I can't see that God would take care of them when they depart earth too. I think Rainbow Bridge is a way for us to visualize a beautiful and deserving path that our furbabies take to Heaven. I wouldn't want to think for a minute that my sweet Rachael isn't at a place like that, where she is happy and rewarded for her good life.

I have been told by people (not animal lovers) that animals do not have a soul, so they do not go to Heaven. I have faith that they DO. Faith is something you have or don't. Life would be too unbearable for me if I choose to not have faith.

Cheri