Rainbows & Bridges Memorial Kit / Goodbye, Friend Book
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Price:
$23.00

 

Purchase includes FREE glossy puppy stickers & art illustration greeting card.

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.

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."





Price:
$12.00  *Available 8/22

 

Purchase includes FREE glossy puppy stickers & art illustration greeting card.

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.
 

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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