Guardians Reincarnated?

"If there is a heaven, it's certain our animals are to be there. Their lives become so interwoven with our own, it would take more than an archangel to detangle them." ~Pam Brown

As I contemplate the strange commonalities between my Golden Retrievers, now in Heaven, and my two new puppies just recently adopted, I'm beginning to wonder if some dogs maybe aren't reincarnated when they pass on.  I know, I know, we all go to Heaven, end of story.  But you've got to see it to believe it!  One dog is spunky, mouthy, energetic, persistent, and even looks similar to my female Golden.  The other dog is quieter and is a love-puppy who only wants to curl up next to you like my male Golden.  Coincidence?  Or a way for God to let me know the Goldens are doing fine in Heaven and I'm still going to have two additions to the family that will protect us?

Maybe none of the above is true, but to see these new puppies act and react around this house, I'd swear the Goldens are here again.  It's almost a relief.  In fact, as I was playing with them in the backyard this evening, I walked over to the female Golden's memorial stone and cried because my heart hurt for missing her.  Then, I looked over to see the puppies tugging at a chew toy together and I was reminded of when my Goldens were puppies and did the exact same thing.  Comforting scene, I can promise you.

What wonderous creatures these new additions to the family are; they've already become an intricate part of the family, and are a true joy to both my children and me.  These puppies have injected a spirit of happiness into our household; something that needed to happen as we three were all grieving in our own ways the loss of our loyal guardians. 

May we have many years of love, happiness, and togetherness with these two creatures adopted into our home when we needed them most.  And if, by chance, my Goldens have sent even a smidgen of their spirit down in the form of these pups, I thank God for helping my children and me through a heartbreaking time.  The blessings these puppies will provide may not heal the wound of losing the Goldens, but it will definitely help to mend the spots that are broken so that we are able to love the puppies with as much heart as we did our dear, departed guardian dogs.

"Unlike some people who have experienced the loss of an animal, I did not believe, even for a moment, that I would never get another. I did know full well that there were just too many animals out there in need of homes for me to take what I have always regarded as the self-indulgent road of saying the heartbreak of the loss of an animal was too much ever to want to go through with it again.


To me, such an admission brought up the far more powerful admission that all the wonderful times you had with your animal were not worth the unhappiness at the end."  ~Cleveland Amory