Holidays and Grief

If you grieve the loss of someone you love, holidays can be especially difficult. As you rise to meet social obligations, try to keep your focus on the love in your heart, not the grief in your head. Try to keep it as positive as possible and know that you are blessed for having had such a great love in your life. All the love you ever gave is waiting for you on the Other Side; it's waiting for you when the time is just right. Keep the faith that love never dies.

Prayers to all over the upcoming holiday season. 

Find our books to heal your grief on Amazon Worldwide in Paperback and Kindle Unlimited 

The Rainbow Bridge Poem

It is the most popular request I receive on Jack's Page and Blog. 
To publish the original poem that comforts the soul.... This is one of the greatest poems about the afterlife of pets, yet no one knows who the author was who wrote it so long ago. 

Thank you to the one who wrote it, who continues to inspire so many of us to this day. Love never dies. The power of the words of this unknown author will never die either. 

 "Love is all there is and love never dies. Love is energy and energy does not die; it cannot die. Einstein would tell you that it is a proven scientific fact. If it’s energy, it must live, although sometimes it changes form. Love does not sleep. I am not dead. I am awake."  Reflections on Life with my Master, Chapter 67

Review of "Reflections on Life with my Master: A Dog's Memoir on Life After Death"

starsA healing journey through loss and grief.

Jack brings you into his world - a world of wonder and thoughtful consideration infused with unconditional love. Observe the world through Jack's eyes and find yourself transformed and connected in a new way to those you love. You will discover that we all should give careful thought to how we interpret the actions of others, question what is happening, and understand that our Master has things in mind for us that we cannot even dream of yet.

Oh, and bring tissues. You will cry. You will feel the deep, soulful ache at the loss of a great friend. You will weep at the recognition of beautiful, simple truths and the bitter-sweet release of letting go. And, in the end, you will shed joyful tears at love found again and remembered. Discover and cherish the sparkling jewels along the way. And in the end there is love, as it was all along.

Let Jack be your companion on a healing journey through loss and grief. You will not regret it.

~Sandra MacEachern, Verified Amazon Canada Customer

Find Jack's Books and more Reviews by clicking HERE.

Click HERE for a Free Preview!  

The Key to a Love that Lasts Forever

Letting Go doesn't mean you don't love them anymore. Letting Go doesn't mean you won't miss them anymore. You'll always remember. You can never cut the ties that bind two souls together who truly love each other. What you DO need to cut is the Leash of Grief and Guilt that binds them to you and prevents them from doing what is best for them.

As They say, set something free and if it was yours to begin with, it will come back. It's natural law, in Heaven and on Earth and in all the spaces in between life and death and life. Your loved ones cannot come back from a place they have not yet arrived. 

If you are looking for Signs and not finding them, take a look at what you are doing. If your best friend is still on the leash of your grief, your best friend is not yet free to be everything he or she can be. 

Letting Go is the most important thing you can do for both of you. It is the ultimate act of faith... and you will be rewarded for it. 

Breathe. Then Let Go. It's time.

You say you love. Do you love them enough to let them go? 

Do you trust them enough to have the faith that they will never leave?  

"'Do not cling to me,' said Jesus, 'for I have not yet ascended to the Father.'"

John 20:17

(Jesus to Mary Magdalene) 

"Why Did You Doubt Me?"

When you are positioned, when your mind is clear, you can receive Messages from Heaven.

In The Bible Peter showed his faith and he walked upon the water. Until he started thinking about it....when down he went, into the waves of chaos. The chaos of his mind. 

Such as it is with dreams and visions that come to you from us in Heaven. In an unexpected moment, you see the one you've been longing to see. Oh you’ve been waiting so long to see me! I am finally bringing you proof that I have never left your side! 

You see me when you least expect it, when your mind is not quite fully engaged. I slip through the space in the “tween times” of your thoughts. I am there with you! "Oh Look!" you say, "He is Here!" 

You are in awe for the moment. You see me! You feel me!

She can balance on the high wire because she doesn't let her mind interfere with what is happening in this moment. 

Then you begin to look at yourself seeing me and feeling me and your mind kicks into gear. 

"Am I crazy?" "Is this really happening?"  

(Of course it is, it’s happening, isn’t it???)  

Very suddenly I begin to fade away. I fade because you question it, like Peter questioned walking on the water. I am fading in the very moment you are saying to yourself, “This can’t be happening.”  In the moment you are denying me. 

POOF!  I am gone. Gone again from your sight. Gone again until next time when maybe you have learned what you need to learn to connect with me in a whole new way.  When you have learned to grow through your grief enough to see that there is another way. A way that defies the limitations of earth. A way inspired by faith and trust. A way that's paved with your love for me. A way that makes that love more important than your fears. A way that brings you closer to the miracle that is heaven. A way that is the bridge. Don't you see? It's made of my love for you and your love for me. It's the bridge. It's the Rainbow Bridge. 

Read Book 1, "Reflections" where I will help you understand so that we can be together again. Our story is your story too. 
Click here. Change your life in a matter of hours: https://amzn.to/2MdPxOb

This guy is learning! We are so proud of him! There is always a net beneath you when you take a risk. The balancing pole is your faith. The weights on the rope are those of us who are looking out for you. We want you to reach the other side so that we can be together; so that together we can build a bridge -- a rainbow bridge - across the canyon that divides us. 

Read Reflections on Life with my Master to work through your grief.
Read our book The Lizard from Rainbow Bridge to learn recognize the signs.

Can You Feel Us? We Speak To You Through Energy

Dear Jack, 

I've been told to look for "signs"... That my baby is still with me and he will come to me somehow to let me know...

The day Gotti gained his wings I had the vet come to the house. I wanted him to be comfortable in his own bed..the familiarity.. His appointment was scheduled for 6pm...  Last night my bedside clock stopped… This is a sign, is it not? 

Love,

Tina

When humans speak to one another they speak with their voices in words that they have defined.  Do you realize that the words people speak are just a small percentage of their communication? When you take away the voice, the speech, the words, there is still a great deal of communication taking place. The words are shaped in the mind; in the brain. The inspiration for speaking the words comes from the heart.  The heart is the true center of genuine communication and Love is the greatest inspiration in the universe.

You may not realize it but you are communicating with us all the time, even when you aren't speaking. We watch you. We hear you. We feel you.  We observe your body language. We look into your eyes. We watch your gestures and listen to your tone of voice.  These are more revealing than the words that you might speak.

"Like words that sound the same but are opposite, sometimes I couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. They kind of seemed the same. I would have to look very carefully at her eyes and her mouth. I assessed the tilt of her head and her breathing pattern. I got good at deciphering her, but sometimes even when she was laughing, tears would come out of her eyes. Humans are strange that way. They live such a dichotomy." 
(Jack McAfghan: Reflections on Life with my Master, Chapter 29)

You can learn to understand us too.  We do not use words, but we communicate in very similar ways. We can't smile but we can wag our tail. We can't speak our joy in words but we can jump and squirm and wiggle when you come home from work.  You can get hot under the collar because you are angry. We can get hot under the collar too and we might growl when we feel that way.  Most of all, we speak from the heart. Our heart to yours.

After we cross Rainbow Bridge we are all magicians!  We can speak in amazing and unique ways by using the power of energy connected to tangible things. While some of you can pierce the "veil" between Heaven and Earth and see and hear and know things through the power of the psyche and intuition, we know that most of you can only sense things in the physical realm, if you are aware of us at all. So we find ways to reach you.  Clouds, rainbows, dreams.  Lots of times things that are associated with power and energy like lightbulbs, clocks, electronics and appliances.  Electricity is the closest thing on earth to what we become when we cross Rainbow Bridge. We are energy and electricity is energy so it's easiest for us to reach you through energy circuits.

Life between the worlds is much like the world of dreams. Get yourself a dream dictionary so you can refer to it when you see things in life on earth that get your attention. Metaphors and symbols are the universal language.  It's how we speak to you because we can't typically express through the spoken word (although sometimes we put you in a place where nearby people will speak the words we want to say to you --- or a book will fall off a shelf whose title is something we want to tell you).

You can learn to communicate with us if you can translate what you see into what we are telling you. You can learn to speak to us not only through your words, gestures and body language but also through your heart. It is through the heart that we see, hear and feel most clearly.  If you think you might have seen a sign from me, chances are you have -- or you wouldn't have even thought of signs from me. If you have goosebumps (the electricity of the skin) -- observe your thoughts and look around. It is probably me.  All of us in Heaven have a goose bump "signature" and you will learn to recognize mine.

Back to our Letter to Jack. What is Gotti saying to Tina through the stoppage of the clock?  Yes, 6:00 got her attention because that is the moment the vet had arrived to assist Gotti over Rainbow Bridge. "6:00" was designed to get Tina's attention so that she would share this with us so that we could teach her further how to read the signs.

Dear Tina, 
There is more to this than you realize. Look at the time. The minute hand stretches to Heaven. The hour hand points to Earth. The alarm is set for a time in the future... perhaps to let you know that you are not finished "sleeping" yet.

Love,

Jack

Pay attention to the signs.  Tina is tuned in.  This event might have come and gone with a wave of the hand or even a grumbled complaint that one needs to get a new battery for the clock. Be calm, still, attentive to the signs for they are everywhere.

I am everywhere. We are everywhere -- in constant contact with the ones we love.

Choosing Heaven

This is from the days not so long ago, when I was too shy to take credit for my own quotes. I kept my name as small as possible. 

This is from the book I was going to finish the week Jack came home from surgery. He ultimately died and I was thrown a curve ball that week that changed my life. 

But I still need to finish this book. It's called "It's All About You".  

Did He Know I Loved Him?

Dear Jack, 

It's 4am and I cant sleep. I really want to know what my boy went through at the end, not that it will help or maybe it would. I just want to hear that he didn't suffer too much. 

I Love You and I Know You Love Me Too

Dear One,

The fact that you were there with him offsets any suffering your boy may have had. Being surrounded by love always alleviates pain and suffering. When we love, our endorphins kick in. Endorphins are the natural antidepressants that are created in the natural pharmacy in our bodies. When we are loved, we are more immune to feeling the effects of discomfort. Some of us choose to die alone. Some of choose to be at the side of the one who loved us. Just like people, animals are all different and they have the ability to make some choices such as this. 

His suffering was short-lived compared to the life he lived and loved with you....and all of that life is but a blink of an eye when compared to the eternal life he is living now. It was just a tiny moment in time. You'll see when you are together again with him. You'll see how it all works and you will look back and say how foolish you were to worry so. But worry, it's the human condition. It cannot be helped. Worry is your teacher. 

Did he know you loved him?  The answer to this is the non-prescription drug that brings peace to everyone. Ahhhh, to know they were loved! We all need to know we are loved and we need to believe that those we love the most know that they are loved in return. Love is the drug. Love is the key. Love is the answer. Love is the question. Love is the secret. Love is everything. While you continue to suffer, he has moved beyond suffering. He is not suffering now. When we enter Rainbow Bridge ---and ultimately Heaven--- any of the "bad" memories leave us. The physical scars and feelings heal instantaneously and if he hurts, it's only because you are still unhappy. 

The best thing you can do, now that you know he knows you love him, is to love yourself. Love yourself so much that there is no room for guilt and second-guessing.  

LOVE,

Jack

The Jack McAfghan Trilogy is available on Amazon Worldwide in Print and on Kindle. Click here for more information! Our story is your story too. 💖

Soon You Will Know. You Will Know That I Am Here.

I know you're grieving. I know that when you grieve it can be a dark and unhappy place. 

Do me a favor. Right here right now. Read the brief excerpt below from Book 3. Then put your device down and sit back and take a deep breath. Look around you. You are more than your grief. Look at your family, if you have one. Your pets, if you have them. Your home, Your furniture. Your houseplants. Your view. 

Close your eyes and think of those you love who have traveled on over the Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge is simply a passageway to the other side of the "veil". The veil is so thin, thinner than the thinnest fabric or screen. We are just on the other side of your world, right now. See if you can feel us there. Talk with us. We are waiting for you. 

We are all around you waiting for you to smile again. We are continually trying to show you what you still have in your life that is good. You have what you can see, but you also still have what you cannot see. You have me! You have "We"! We are always trying to help you to know that we are never gone, we are just Gone From Your Sight. We live closer to you than your breath! 

Your heart is our home. When your heart is unhappy, we are unhappy too. When you heal and make your heart a pleasant place, then we can be free to live again and love again. But until then, we wait patiently, for you to see the sun shine on your life again. 

It never went away. 

Nor did we. 

"Heaven is all around you. You just can’t see us because we are vibrating at a higher level than you are. It’s kind of like a dog whistle. There is a noise, a pitch so high that the human ear cannot detect it but it is there nonetheless, for don’t you see all the dogs come running!

When we cross Rainbow Bridge we become only love and love is the highest level of vibration; the highest “pitch” so to speak. This is why you cannot see us. We are here, only gone from your sight until one day you are the same vibration as we are.

When you vibrate in love all the time you will not have to ask again if I am here, you will know that I am here with you."

from "Jack McAfghan: Return from Rainbow Bridge" Chapter 65

"You Were The Teacher I Needed..."

"Reflections...Book 1. This is by far one of the Greatest Books I have ever Read, Touched my Heart and Soul, a True Masterpiece. The Whole Series, the books are truly inspiring....You were the Teacher I needed to find to open up the door that had been closed for so long..."  

~George K.

Click HERE to see more of our wonderful reviews and to order this and the other books in the Jack McAfghan Trilogy! 

Do You Ever Get Goose Bumps?

Tonight she was out walking the dogs, Immy and Joey. It was a cold high desert night but it felt good to walk, so they walked a little farther than usual.  Just as they turned to head for home, she looked up and saw a bright star in the western sky. 

“I remember that star,” she said aloud. “I used to look at that star from my living room and from our front porch.”  She had a smile when she first said that.  She had built the house and loved the house. She and I had lived most of our years together there. She remembered looking out over to the western horizon as she watched the sunsets come and go, and then the bright star appear every night when the night was clear. Suddenly her “view” was interrupted by the memory of the neighbors at the house across the street.  It blocked her line of vision and took the star away from the sky in her mind. The neighbors had been very mean and they did some things that indirectly caused and ultimately brought us financial ruin.

“It was all so beautiful,” she said as the tears began to sting her eyes.  I sensed I might have to intervene.  “It was all so wonderful,” (Was she sad? Was she mad? Her emotions were intensifying) “...until they came along and ruined everything.”  She was starting to get upset about it again. I had to do something. I did not want her thinking those negative thoughts. There was nothing she could do about those circumstances now. It did her no favors to be dwelling on it.  After all, she had had such joy when she first saw our star.    

She was startled when she felt my goose bumps from the back of her neck down to her lower back, radiating with warmth. Everyone has their own “signature” goose bump. This was mine... and she knew it.  

“Okay Jack,” she said to me, “You’re right. I know it doesn’t matter now.” 
She had learned when to identify me and she had received the message I had intended for her! “Thank you Jack.  Thank you.”  
She was so pleased that she had not missed a beat and she knew that it was me. 

I radiated out my warmth and love and covered her again, so proud that she could learn to set her pain aside and live in the moment with me, just like I taught her to do.  She thanked me again. She could tell from my warmth and intensity that I was happy and that made her happy too. That’s how soul mates are. Connected on such a deep level that everything they think and feel affects the other.  

Do you ever get goose bumps? Who do you think it is? When do they come to you? What are they telling you?  Pay attention. Goose bumps are not just a random occurrence. They are how we reach out to you in vibration. It’s how we touch you when we no longer can be in your view. 

                                                                                                            

  Love,  Jack

Scheduled for Release This Weekend! Stay Tuned!

This is the third book in the Jack McAfghan Series. As you join Jack on his journey to Rainbow Bridge and back again, he will give you a glimpse of the world to come while sharing his deep wisdom of unconditional love and the power of healing. Our story is your story too. It is the story of life, love and renewal. What you get out of his story is limited only by your beliefs. Sometimes what seems to be the ending of something is just the beginning of everything.

'My Master calls me in from the fields of green and gold. His voice is commanding. I run to Him obediently. He gives me a choice: To remain Here and continue living life as an angel in Heaven, or to return to Earth. I hesitate. I tell Him I don’t want to leave this place, especially the field at the edge of Rainbow Bridge where I keep watch for her. I don’t want to be somewhere else the day she crosses Rainbow Bridge. He makes me a promise. I know He keeps His promises, so I begin my adventure back across the Rainbow Bridge; back into the world I shared with her.'

We highly recommend you read Jack's first book "Jack McAfghan: Reflections on Life with my Master" before embarking on this one, for Jack will help you to heal your grief so that you can move forward into the magic that is waiting to be discovered Beyond Rainbow Bridge.

Click Here for a preview! 

...But How Do I Let Go of You?

Q: How do you know when to cut the leash so that they can run free and have fun?

A: When you no longer feel the need to cling to them.

Q: How do you know when you are no longer clinging to them? 

A: You are no longer clinging to them when you no longer have pain over them. 

When you no longer allow yourself to suffer. 

When you have peace and you can smile when you think of them. 

When you have accepted that they are now living in another dimension,  but living nonetheless.  

You can still miss them, you can still have tender tears,  but it's the pain and suffering about it that must be severed from your being.  

The pain and the suffering weave together to create the leash.

Q: How do I cut the leash? 

A: Read my book. It will guide you every step of the way and it will free both of you. 

"Jack McAfghan: Reflections on Life with my Master" is now On Sale on Amazon.  Always available on Kindle for 2.99. Click HERE to order Jack today and let him bring your best friend back to you for healing. Our story is your story too.  

Click here for Amazon.UK, here for Amazon Canada and Jack is available in all other Amazon locations worldwide.

"Jack McAfghan: Reflections on Life with my Master" by Kate McGahan

The End of This Life is Not the End of Life

When you are grieving, you cannot really learn anything new until your mind and heart are healed and open to new information. 

In my next book Jack shares his usual wisdom and inspiration as he helps the reader to walk through the five stages of grief. Then he reveals what life is like on the other side of Rainbow Bridge. Full of love and miracles, his story will tell you how his Master in Heaven allows him the free will to make some very important choices, such as the one to return to earth to love again and be loved again.  

We also share the story of how we found Joey, Jack's little terrier brother, and how Jack was able to choreograph the adoption of Immy, the Afghan Hound who would come to be adopted into the space that Jack left behind. 

Join us as we learn together the power of love and faith. This is our story, it is your story. It is the story of life, love and renewal. Come! Be our friend as we travel this journey together to Rainbow Bridge and back again.

                     

The end of this life is not the end of life. 

You can find the Jack McAfghan Trilogy on Amazon Worldwide. Click Here to read the reviews and preview: 
The Jack McAfghan Trilogy by Kate McGahan

Jack's Sequel Is Coming Soon. Here's a Glimpse.

"Jack McAfghan: Return from Rainbow Bridge"

The end of this life is not the end of life.

Life never ends.

Love never dies. 

Stay tuned for our next book which is due for publication this Fall!

THE LIZARD from RAINBOW BRIDGE: Our Latest Book

If you've read our book, you know about my friend Lizard. Our illustrated story will help you to learn how animal spirits and angels come into our lives. They are all around you, all the time! Who'd believe a lizard could be an angel too?

Click Here to See Lizard on Amazon.com
Available Worldwide

Animal spirit guides and angels serve each and every one of us every day. Join Jack McAfghan as he shares the magical story of his friend Lizard, an unexpected angel who travels from Heaven to escort others over Rainbow Bridge and to comfort those left behind. In the style we have come to know and love, the canine Jack shares his wisdom and the power of unconditional love for all. His ultimate goal: to teach us to live Heaven on Earth. This true story is written for children of all ages. It hopes to bring to light the knowledge and faith that magic exists everywhere in the world and that the end of this life is not the end of life at all.

TRUE STORY. 

Letting Go: Try to See it From Your Pet's Point of View

When Kate and I worked for Hospice, we went to visit a family who had an elderly father at home. They had an old dog that was sick too. Her name was Blanca. I looked into Blanca’s eyes and I saw so much sadness there. It was more than sadness; I can't come up with an English word for it.

While Kate talked to the man and his family, I talked with Blanca. She told me that she was ready to cross over but that her master had begged her not to leave. Her master was asking her to stay, so she was staying. A dog is obedient above all else.

I learned that Blanca felt totally helpless. She was tired of living. She wanted to be free of her cumbersome body. She felt trapped. She loved her family but she suffered from a deep and painful longing to return Home. Her heavenly Master was calling for her but her earthly master was clinging to her. It was painful for her to be pulled in two different directions. She knew that I would understand. I felt very bad for her. I hoped that I would never have to live that way.
from Jack McAfghan, Reflections - Chapter 49

Love, Jack 🐾

Amazon Ranked #17 : Still She Grieves

A note from Kate:

Jack made it to #17 in Pet Loss on Kindle today!  Oh Jackie! It makes me so happy! 

It's not about selling a book for $2.99. It's about giving the priceless gift of healing the those who read your story. Everyone who knew you, loved you Jack. They are still meeting you and loving you through the pages of our book. Thank you Jack. Thank you for bringing all the pets who have been loved and lost back for healing for our readers.

But wait. If I'm so happy about it, why am I crying as I post this? 
Me the expert?!  Still crying?  It will be two years in August since you crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I know I am healing because I no longer count the hours, the days, the months since you left....they are getting away from me. Where has the time gone? Why do I still cry?

The process of grief can take a long time when love runs deep.  I see this face, these eyes, this love, the offering of everything he is and was. He wanted to give me everything.  He still does. Just like our Master in Heaven does, He gives all of us everything He is. This is why pets are our greatest gift. They live for their master on earth. We are their Beloved. They are each and every one a little piece of Heaven sent to us to bless us, love us and be loved by us. It's all by Design so we know without a doubt that we are Loved. It's all about the love and the love that is waiting for us at Rainbow Bridge when the time is ripe for us to return Home.  

I am so grateful to the many readers who have become our friends. For the old and new friends who are following Jack's Page. I am thankful for the members of Jack's Pet Loss Group. So many of you have thanked me for all that I do but I thank you for all you do for me. For all you have come to mean to me. I have received so many blessings from the loss of the greatest gift I have been given so far in this lifetime. We are all healing each other, one day at a time.

It's all about the Love. 

Kate 

"These three things remain: Faith, Hope and Love...

but the greatest of these is love."  

1 Corinthians 13:13