Desha Utsick - Connecting with Our Pets in Heaven: Interpret Signs from Animals in the Afterlife, Cope with Grief, and Heal

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Design by Melissa Gerber

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Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-6700-3

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-7176-5

Printed in China

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Contents

An Unbreakable Bond

CONNECTION LOVE LESSONS PURPOSE

T HE STRENGTH OF THE HUMAN-PET CONNECTION IS AMAZING. While we hear dramatic stories of animals rescuing their owners or even complete strangers from all sorts of physical peril, its often the quiet moments spent in our day-to-day relationships with our animals that touch our lives the most and change us as people.

Pets remind us to slow down and value relationships. They highlight the importance of physical touch and unspoken communication. They model unconditional love and forgiveness. We grow together as we discover the significance of putting someone else first in our lives.

Whenever a pet comes into our lives, the encounter feels designed for a greater purpose. I know this was true of my rescue dog, Bella. On the outside, she appeared to need me more than I needed her. When our paths crossed, Bella wasnt in a good place. Extremely malnourished and skittish due to neglect and suspected abuse, she was close to being euthanized. But something called to me to rescue her. Little did I know, she would also rescue mestanding by my side through an addiction recovery process (thats another whole book!). Bella walked many miles by my sideliterally and emotionallyas we explored nature and bared our souls to find a true path. She would grow into a strong presence whose thick black fur often caused her to be mistaken for a bear cub on hiking trails. She would share her gentle soul with anyone who needed a perky ear to listen and soft fur to stroke. She became somewhat of a celebrity everywhere we went and inspired us to be what she believed we all could bepeople who look out for those with the least and those in the most need of our love.

Healing wont come overnight. What keeps me strong and focused on my purpose in this life is knowing that I am not alone. Bella touched many lives with her presence, and that doesnt just fade away.

Losing Bella in 2020 was devastating for me. She was ready to be at physical peace, but that didnt make the decisions or experience any easier. After she passed, daily routines that had become so meaningful were shaken. Life seemed unsteady and too quiet. When it all felt too overwhelming, I would think about Bella and her strength. She would lend me whatever I needed to get through. I could turn to all I had experienced in the moments we spent together and what she had taught me in this life.

A year later, finding ways to get through each day without my Bella physically by my side is still a constant journey. After all, grieving is a normal, healthy process; healing wont come overnight. What keeps me strong and focused on my purpose in this life is knowing that I am not alone. Bella touched many lives with her presence, and that doesnt just fade away. Love for her and from her is still very much alive in all who knew her. Others who have lost their own beloved pets are with me in my grief, transition, and healing. God is with me, letting me know I am loved and cherished. Bella is with mejust in a new way.

Any change is difficult, and loss of a loved one can be downright devastating. As our pets cross what some call the rainbow bridge, it can be especially challenging to stretch our faith and see how pets can remain an integral part of our lives. I have come to a point where I experience Bella all the time as I go through ordinary and also trying days. Her presence brings me peace, perspective, and patience and serves as a reminder of all I can do in this life while looking forward to being reunited with her in a place of eternal love one day. With all of the blessings pets bring into our lives, why wouldnt they be part of that glory? Why wouldnt that connection live on?

Our bonds with our pets go far beyond the physical relationship to reach the depths of our minds, hearts, and souls. If we can lean into the strength of that love and the lessons we have gathered, our days remain blessed even when our pets leave this world and cross that rainbow bridge. This hope, this strength, this healing through a time of grief are what I hope you take away from this book. Open your heart to the signs from heaven that are around you every day!

If we can lean into the strength of that love and the lessons we have gathered, our days remain blessed even when our pets leave this world.

Getting Through Grief

EMOTIONS MEMORIES SPACE STAGES

I T WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO SAY THAT WE REACH A PLACE OF HOPE AND UNDERSTANDING OVERNIGHT . But that wouldnt be true or helpful to suggest. When we lose a beloved companion, it can take time to make it through the grief. We may second-guess everything, wondering if we did all we could. We may even blame ourselves. We may question our relationship. We may question our beliefs. These are all normal reactions as we process the experience.