2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

I even had a dream one day where I heard something rustling in the back yard, and when I looked out the sliders, I saw her there. She ran right to the door. I let her in, picked her up, then the tears started flowing. I put her down and had her follow me upstairs to our bedroom where my wife was watching TV. When she saw Kaya, she was shocked and asked how this was possible? I told her that I'd traded some of my time for her. Then I woke up. The tears were real. At that point in time, if there was a world where a deal like that could've been made, I might have made it as crazy as that sounds.

It doesn't sound crazy at all. I'll wager that any pet "owner" who has a very deep bond with their companion would take that deal in a heartbeat. I know I would.

My sense of your dream is that it was a very clear message to you. Dreams are considerably different than "messages". Dreams are very muddled, vague and ambiguous. They are like spinning the tuner dial on a radio, picking up a variety of frequencies and together they make no real sense. Messages are very linear, vivid and lucid. They are sometimes more real than real.

Again, just my opinion, I believe that those who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge and who have had a very deep bond with their human, do return from time to time to "check in". These visitations can be quite subtle or extremely profound. To that point, be keenly aware, keep your internal radar sweeping,and know that it's not a construct of your imagination.

3 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I cried through your entire post, but I felt ^this^ in my bones and belly.

I absolutely deny absolutely falling to pieces as I wrote it.✋🏻

2 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

My sense of your dream is that it was a very clear message to you.

I think you're right. It was unbelievably clear. When my wife asked the question in the dream I hadn't thought about answer beforehand on the way upstairs. I was simply thrilled that she was back. But in that moment when she asked, I just knew I'd made that deal. That dream is as clear as any real memory I have.

@PhishLI I am terribly sorry to hear about the heartbreak you went through with Kaya.

I’d make that deal.

10 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

Again, just my opinion, I believe that those who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge and who have had a very deep bond with their human, do return from time to time to "check in". These visitations can be quite subtle or extremely profound. To that point, be keenly aware, keep your internal radar sweeping,and know that it's not a construct of your imagination

I’m not much of a spiritual person. That being said last August when I lost my dog Hank we got home from the vet the night we put him down. I look out our back window and there’s a big Cardinal looking towards the house. I absolutely lost it! The next day, there were two male Cardinals and a female in the same spot. We lost Hank, Henry (cat), and Lola all within a year and a half. It’s not like we never see Cardinals out back, I just thought it was weird that there was one right there as soon as we got home from the vet.

For those wondering, Cardinals are believed to be a sign of a past loved one or pet checking in to let you know they’re ok.

It's amazing that we as humans and animals can establish such deep connections. Again, my sense of it is that we are connecting with another sentient being at it's most basic level. If you distill it down, we are nothing but wave form at the sub atomic levels and a connection is made with another who is on the same resonating frequency. I see that connection being made when I am talking with several cats. There might be one who will be hanging on every word I say. It's visibly perceptible and I feel that is where we get a "lock & tone". It's where the real magic starts to happen. That might not be the best way to describe it but for me it seems to make sense.

Sorry that I haven’t been keeping up. Been working on a punch list for a house that we’ve sold.

@Jar11591, @Glenn and everyone else that has lost a furry family member, I am so very sorry for your losses. Like someone has already stated, “It’s the price we pay…..” I truly believe that.

Even though I do have another dog, she’s 13 now, I miss my Homer to this very day. He’s been gone since 2019. I know he’s waiting for me. Just as I know that Coco, Bella, Cassidy, Kaya and KC and the pets of others are waiting for them. d**n, I loved Homer.

21 hours ago, volzfan59 said:

“It’s the price we pay…..”

I like to think of it as the grief we experience is inherently connected and in direct proportion to the amount of love we shared. It's a fundamental component of the human experience.