For those of us who have lost beloved pets, do you find yourself looking for signs or symbols that your pet is sending to you from ‘above’ or wherever you believe they may be? I want to touch on this subject, as I find many of us, including myself, tend to lean towards a sign or symbol to give us hope and calm as we grieve the loss of our pet.
After Chilly passed away, I started seeing white feathers everywhere. And I still see them often. When I saw the first one, immediately, I felt this energy and message that indicated Chilly was next to me in spirit, telling me “Everything is going to be okay, I’m with you.” And I felt a sense of comfort, love, and strength. Chilly was a small white dog, and he was called an ‘Angel’ several times by others. So to this day, I feel he is an angel watching over me when I see white feathers (as I link white feathers to angels).
The evening Chilly passed away, the sky turned pink against the clouds as the sun was setting. Every time the sky turns pink during sunset, my husband feels Chilly is with him. So we each have our own signs that Chilly is with us, sending us love. I have other friends who share similar stories of symbols or events that show them their beloved pet is with them.
And then, I had a client who was the opposite and did not look for signs or symbols. He believed once his pet passed away, that was it. But he was struggling with his grief, as many of us do. I learned later in our sessions that in his culture and from his family upbringing, he was strongly encouraged to not hold onto anything. So in his mind, looking for signs or symbols was holding on and something he felt he should not be doing. After some exploring, he is open to changing his beliefs on this topic as he feels it may help him through the grieving process. He is taking it day by day, but I am proud of him for seeing the benefits of signs.
Grieving can be unsettling in so many ways. We do our best to cope and navigate through the uncomfortable thoughts, experience, and heavy emotions. But sometimes it can be overwhelming. Signs and symbols are wonderful ways to provide hope and relief. They could be seen as inviting the presence of our beloved pet that has passed away by our side, or a way to communicate to them. Signs give us the need for reassurance that everything is okay, when it may feel the complete opposite. This is why I believe signs help us in the healing process as we mourn the loss of our pets.
When I started Petminni, I connected with Donna, who owns “Reflections of Rainbow Bridge Prism” on Etsy. Donna and I shared our stories on why we each created our companies after our beloved pets passed away. I was touched by her story as she lost 3 of her babies, but found comfort in seeing rainbow splashes of colors from a prism suncatcher. And that motivated her to start her business on Etsy, so others could see the beautiful colors from the rainbow prism and remember their precious pets.
She sent her Rainbow Bridge Prism Set for Chilly, and I was so touched! Donna puts in her whole heart and soul into each set as she sends them off to other pet parents, like ourselves, who have lost pets. She personalizes each prism set and says a prayer before sending them off. It’s an amazing gift of love and comfort. And a special sign and way to ease the hearts of all of us who have lost pets.
Below is an excerpt from Donna
From Donna-
“Reflections of Rainbow Bridge Prism™- The Story of Love behind My Pet Memorial Sets
“Whenever I see the splashes of rainbow colors, it feels like my babies are here with me.” –Donna
I have always loved my pets with all of my heart. To me, they are “my babies.” When my first baby went to Rainbow Bridge in 2010, I was devastated. I suddenly treasured the Rainbow Bridge poem more than ever, so I printed it and hung it on our refrigerator. Then, even though he will always live on in my heart, I desperately searched locally and online for weeks, trying to find a special way to somehow keep him with me physically, as well. I bought jewelry. I bought stuffed animals. I displayed my favorite photos of him in beautiful frames. You name it, I probably did it. But nothing helped. I was still so utterly heartbroken. And then it happened... I figured out how to make the Rainbow Bridge story come alive.♥ I hung a prism suncatcher, and when the sun hit it and I saw those beautiful splashes of rainbow colors in my home, I was filled with a wonderful sense of peace. It felt like my sweet boy was saying, “Hi Mumma! Hello from Rainbow Bridge! I am happy and healthy here, so please don’t worry about me – I love it here – and one day you will see me again!”
Those rainbows immediately warmed my heart and soul to my very core. They
still do, and I know they forever will. I'll even admit that I talked to him via his rainbow splashes... He felt so *close* to me. When my second and third babies went to Rainbow Bridge in 2014 and 2016, I was devastated all over again. But I did not waste time searching for a way to “keep them with me.” I immediately printed a fresh copy of the Rainbow Bridge story and hung another prism in my sunny window in their honor – and their prisms still bring us peace and comfort whenever we see our babies’ rainbows, their “reflections of Rainbow Bridge.”
After my third heart-shattering loss, I realized I am not alone in missing my beloved pets so much it hurts. As most pet lovers know; the pain when we lose such a dear friend and family member are so deep, it sometimes feels unbearable. So... I began working on creating the Reflections of Rainbow Bridge Prism™ pet memorial set. My dream was to offer a very special way to honor beloved babies who have gone to Rainbow Bridge;
from dogs & cats to birds & reptiles, to zoo farm animals, to exotic pets & wild animals, and every precious baby in between. First, I changed a couple of words in the story, to include *ALL* animals.
Next, I worked on designing the prisms and the bookmark, wallet card, and 4x6 prints with the Rainbow Bridge story; then figuring out how to package them all beautifully for everyone to enjoy as a gift-boxed set from www.rainbowbridgeprism.com. Now I help people find comfort, peace, and even joy from their own “Hello from Rainbow Bridge” whenever the sun shines on their prisms and they see the beautiful rainbow splashes they produce. My heart goes out to all who miss their beloved pets, and I am truly blessed to offer a way to help ease their hearts.”
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What a beautiful story!
I would love to hear from you. Create a memorial for your pet and share the sign you use to remember your pet. You can visit Donna’s site here. And if you want to preserve your pet’s memories, you can create a free online memorial through Petminni. These are all wonderful ways to keep those happy thoughts and recollections around.