Rainbows & Bridges: An Animal Companion
Memorial Kit
Ideal for individuals, couples, and families who have lost an
animal companion to death,
disappearance, disaster, or any other circumstance such as moving or no longer
being able to care for a beloved animal, Rainbows & Bridges is a
most thoughtful, kind, and supportive gift to express condolences and compassion and
help with the healing process. |
 The loss of an
animal
companion is often just as devastating as the death of a human loved one.
Published by New World Library in 2005, this
wonderful memorial kit from clergy members Linda and
Allen Anderson is a heartwarming and unique way to help those healing from such
a loss. The couple addresses the spectrum of feelings that can arise, such as despair, loneliness, anger, alienation,
disappointment, and self-doubt.
Candid about their own personal
experiences with loss, Allen and Linda Anderson present moving stories and
experiences of others who have struggled and recovered.
Filled with inspirational ideas and exercises, Rainbows & Bridges walks
the bereft through the process of remembering the past, grieving in the present,
and finding hope for the future. The Memorial Kit includes the following:
- Rainbows & Bridges Finding Comfort after the Loss of Your Animal
Friend ─
128-page book designed to serve as a guide for allowing grief to follow its
natural course.
- Rainbows & Bridges Celebration of a Life Journal ─ A 80-page guided journal
questions and prompts with space for writing and keeping a scrapbook to
encourage those who have lost an animal companion to create mementos in
honor of their animals.
- Rainbows & Bridges Meditation Cards ─ A set of 20 cards with brief
reflections to help people gain peace and perspective about losing an animal
companion who has made an important and special contribution to their lives.
-
Rainbows & Bridges Memorial Cards ─ Outlines and reading for three types of
memorial services: religious, secular, and nature based.
- The front cover of the box is additionally a frame designed to display a
photo of the beloved pet. Also included in the kit is the touching story of
the Rainbow Bridge — the place where animals go after they die until the day
comes and they team up with their human companions and can walk over the
bridge together.
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Susan Chernak McElroy,
author,
Animals
as Teachers & Healers
and All
My Relations: Living with Animals As Teachers & Healers
"Let me say this about Rainbows and Bridges: I love it. I treasure it. Allen and
Linda Anderson have left no question unposed, no conflict bypassed, no
reflection unacknowledged. If you are facing or have faced the loss of a beloved
animal friend, let this book be your companion and your comfort. There exists no
better exploration of this Landscape of Loss than you will find here."
Dr. Marty
Becker, Resident Veterinarian on ABC TV's Good Morning America, author of
The Healing
Power of Pets
and
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, host of nationally syndicated
pet talk radio show, Top Vets Talk Pets
"As a veterinary medical correspondent and lifetime pet lover, I believe in both
the power of pets and the power of stories to heal. Rainbows & Bridges combines
current information about grief and mourning with inspiring stories of how
others have dealt with the loss of a beloved animal companion. This kit is an
amazing toolbox of resources that offers a wide range of healing activities,
wise information, compassionate reflection, and practical help for honoring and
memorializing the life of your pet."
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Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet
For animal lovers, the loss of a cherished pet ranks almost
as high as the loss of a close family member in terms of grief experienced.
In Goodbye, Friend, Gary Kowalski takes you on a journey of healing
offering warmth, guidance, and practical advice on how to deal effectively
with death by honoring your animal companion's life. A superb and comforting
book for both adults and children. |
After Gary Kowalski, author and the minister of Burlington Vermont's
Unitarian Universalist church, completed his new book, Goodbye, Friend, on
dealing with losing your pet, his own elderly dog, Chinook, died. In his first
book, The Souls of Animals, Kowalski wrote: "My own wise friend is my dog. He
has deep knowledge to impart." Apparently, Chinook did his good work up until
the end. Kowalski's new book is full of sound, compassionate advice to get you
through the loss of your pet(s). Included are ideas for rituals and ceremonies,
spiritual guidance and readings and poems to use for solace. The author's voice
is a soothing one, not surprising for a minister whose job it is to be wise and
reflective. The book also addresses animals' grieving; their life spans; their
growth, illnesses and needs. These are similar to ours: need to eat, to
exercise, to sleep, to have fun, to enjoy companionship and to expect routine.
Kowalski includes advice on how to take care of yourself after the death of a
pet and the importance of honesty when talking with children about this event.
Kowalski's book is not only useful for healing when a good friend dies, but also
reasserts his primary message: that animals are important, that "pets are not
petty," that they deserve our respect and our kind care. As Kowalski writes,
"Animals enrich our lives in countless ways, with their playfulness, their
tranquility [sic], their constancy, and their love..." This book will help
readers mourn and remember them well.
Gary Kowalski currently serves as minister to the First Unitarian
Universalist Society of Burlington, Vermont.
He holds degrees from Harvard College and
Harvard Divinity School. He has written on behalf of animals for many years,
with the best of his sermons published in 1989 by Harper & Row, Best Sermons.
Reverend Kowalski has
written several books, including The Souls of
Animals,
The
Bible According To Noah: Theology As If Animals Mattered,
Science and the Search for G-d, and
Revolutionary Spirits: The Enlightened Faith of America's Founding Fathers.
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Dr. Michael W. Fox, Vice President, The Humane
Society of the United States and author of
The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation
"This wonderful book is the best guide I know of that can
help us deal with the death of our animal companions whom the more
we love the more we will grieve."
Dr. Marty
Becker, Resident Veterinarian on ABC TV's Good Morning America, author of
The Healing
Power of Pets
and
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, host of nationally syndicated
pet talk radio show, Top Vets Talk Pets
"Saying goodbye to a pet soul-mate is something we dread but must
inevitably accept. Goodbye, Friend offers answers that are
woven into a tapestry of care, compassion and unconditional love for
the pets with whom we've shared our hearts and homes. Then, we can
become much more than our pet's best friend — we can become healers,
teachers and angels for our friends and family when they, too, lose
a beloved pet."
Phillip Gonzalez, author of
The Dog Who Rescues Cats
"The death of a beloved pet is one of the hardest things to
bear. This insightful and compassionate book will help readers
accept the grief and move on in their lives."
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