Paraclete Press Editors - Heaven Bound: Creating a Funeral or Memorial Service for Your Pet

Heaven
Bound

CREATING A FUNERAL or MEMORIAL SERVICE
for YOUR PET

Heaven Bound: Creating a Funeral or Memorial Service for Your Pet

2012 First Printing

Copyright 2012 by Paraclete Press

ISBN 978-1-61261-244-7

Scripture references are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Heaven bound : creating a funeral or memorial service for your pet / Paraclete Press.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-61261-244-7 (hard cover)

1. Pet ownersReligious life. 2. PetsDeathReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Future lifeChristianity. 4. Funeral rites and ceremonies. I. Paraclete Press.

BV4596.A54H43 2012

265.9dc23

2012014445

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press
Brewster, Massachusetts
www.paracletepress.com
Printed in the United States of America

This Book Is Dedicated to the Memory of

Who Was With Us from

We will love you always.
You enriched our lives.
We will see you again.

A funeral or memorial service for your beloved pet is an opportunity to share memories, to laugh, to cry, and to record these feelings in the pages of this book. As you gather together with friends and family, tell stories about your family member who has died.

Dont worry about what others may think. Surround yourself with friends during this time.

It is good to grieveand always helpful to share your grieving, as well as your joy, with others!

The relationships we have with our pets are just as complicated and special as those we have with our human family and friends.

There will be those who say, It was just a pet. There will be others who remark, You can always just buy another dog. Or cat, and so on. They dont understand. Not everyone will understand.

This is probably not the time to try and explain things to these friends or acquaintances. Instead, surround yourself with those who know about the friendship, companionship, and family that you have experienced with your pet.

Jesus said:

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
LUKE 12:6

The relationships we experience with our pets can sometimes be among the deepest ones we will ever experience in our lives.

The sincerity, humility, dedication, purpose, courage, devotion, joy, and love that we have learned from our pets will stay with us forever. In fact, an animal companion can teach us about the love of God. As St. Paul writes in Romans 1:20: For since the creation of the world Gods invisible qualitieshis eternal power and divine naturehave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Our pets teach us Sincerity.

PSALM 5:3
In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.

PSALM 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.

Our pets teach us about Humility.

2 CHRONICLES 7:1415
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then
I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal
their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive
to the prayers offered in this place.

Our pets teach us Dedication.

1 CHRONICLES 16:11
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

PSALM 145:18
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

Our pets teach us to live with Purpose.

LUKE 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them
that they should always pray and not give up.

Our pets show us the meaning of Courage.

PSALM 23:14
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his names sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Our pets embody true Devotion.

ISAIAH 55:6
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

MATTHEW 7:78
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks,
the door will be opened.

From our pets, we learn Joy.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:1618
Rejoice always, pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.

PROVERBS 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

And our pets teach us to Love.

1 JOHN 5:1415
This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears uswhatever we ask
we know that we have what we asked of him.

If you live in a place that already has a pet funeral home, you may choose to make all of your arrangements through them. If you do not, many people will organize their own funerals and memorial services for their pets. Either way, you may want to follow these simple guidelines:

Arrange for a viewing area where friends and family may say goodbye.

Be present with your pet during this visitation time, and to receive friends and family.

Encourage everyone who comes to write in the pages of this book. This is the place to keep their funny stories, warm memories, and good wishes forever.

Add photos of your pet, too. Encourage others to bring photos of your pet that they may have taken on shared holidays, family events, or vacations.

Allow yourself to express your feelings and to be supported by others in this time of grief.

Find some special ways to honor the memory of your family member. Use Heaven Bound as your album and your scrapbook.

You may want to also encourage participants to post short videos on YouTube and Facebook and other places on the Web, too, where others can see them. This is a way for people to participate who were unable to make the journey to your pets funeral or memorial service.