The Rainbow Bridge

Posted byTime Traveler of LifePosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , , ,

I was sleeping soundly when someone tapped me on the shoulder, startling me awake.  I slowly looked over my shoulder to see my Stepdad Lloyd smiling, his blue eyes twinkling.

“Is it my time?” I asked him.

“It could be if you want it to be, Brenie.” “OMG, this is real; Lloyd is the only one that calls me Brenie!”

I looked over at my sweet husband, still sleeping soundly, and said, “I don’t know if I am ready to go now.  What will it be like? Where am I going?  Will it be more like the weather here in Arizona or hotter?”

He laughed and said, “Do you think you deserve hotter?”

“I don’t know.  Where is Mamma?”

“She is doing what she loves: fishing.”

“That’s good. Is she still in the wheelchair?  Can she talk?”

“Would you like to go see her for yourself?”

“If I do, can I come back to my bed and my hubby?  I mean, is it a one-way trip?” 

“Only if you want it to be.”

“You are the one person that I can trust. I never understood why us kids never called you Daddy.  You were our Father in all the ways it mattered.  I am so sorry if that hurt you.”

“You never had to worry about that, I knew.  In my heart, you were mine.”

“Okay, let’s get on with that trip.  It would be fun to try a cast or two.  Maybe I can snag a Black Bass or a Pickerel.  Mom will probably get a bigger one than me.”

I was surprised that I woke up so easily, and when I looked down, I was dressed in jeans, a plaid shirt, and my usual dirty sneakers.  We were no longer in my bedroom.  We were walking down the road to the pond in front of our house, back in Maine.  Looking out on the lake, I could see Mom rowing toward us. I wondered why she didn’t start the motor. Maybe she was showing off being able to use both arms. 

As she got closed, I could see a big smile on her face and a cigarette hanging from her mouth.  I guess you can have some bad habits.  Maybe I can have a glass or three of wine when I want to.  Wonder if it will have the same effect on me here as home. 

Mom pulled up to the bridge on the road, and we climbed in. The pond was just like I remembered, but of course, it would be. 

She handed me the oars, and I rowed us out of the narrow inlet onto the pond.  She directed me where to go, and I managed to get us to a spot where all three of us could cast our line out and land it close, but not in the tall cattails and reeds. Mom, of course, got a strike immediately; she struggled a magnificent Pickerel into the boat.  Lloyd was next, and then I pulled in a huge Black Bass.

“Is our farm still there?  Yes, we can go look at it if you would like to.”

“I have so many questions!  Can you answer them, or do I have to wait until I am ready to cross over the rainbow bridge?”

“Is that what they call it now?”  Mom laughed, and Lloyd smiled. 

“Yes, it is mostly for animals that pass on, but I kinda like the idea.”

“Sorry, Brenie, we have given you all the answers we can now unless you are ready to walk over the bridge and do more fishing,” Lloyd said with a sad smile. 

“I don’t think I am ready, although I loved the fishing and seeing our old farm. My hubby and I will celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. The kids will be disappointed if they can’t do something special for us. So our fishing will have to wait a while.”

I hugged and kissed both of them; then, I was waking up in bed, and my sweet hubby had snuck out to let me sleep in. 

Published by Time Traveler of Life

Biography Creating worlds, characters, and wielding power like a madwoman, making my characters happy, sad, angry, and some of them with no redeeming qualities. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sometimes laugh out loud when I am writing a scene, and I have been known to cry when one of my favorites has to die. I am a left-handed Gemini, what do you expect? Reading bedtime stories to my two children until they fell asleep or until they just told me to go away, was fun. Making up wild stories for my grandchild, and creating Halloween costumes from Cowboys to a Dragon, was another favorite thing to do. I missed that so much when they were grown, that I started writing. My yearly newsletters frequently were drafted third-person by my Love Birds, Miranda our motorhome, and by Sir Fit the White Knight, our faithful Honda. Throughout the years, some of my creative talents centered around writing letters of complaint expressing my displeasure with services or products. One crucial, at least to my Son, was a note to our local school bus driver petitioning her to allow him back on the bus. He was kicked off for making an obscene gesture at his buddy. I reminded her that it was not directed at her, and that “obscenity can be in the eye of the beholder,” kids use that gesture as a greeting. He rode the bus until he graduated. I loved driving my English teacher crazy. Leaving a “continued next week” at the end of my five handwritten pages required each week. He was one of many people that suggested I “do something about my writing.” I graduated from the School of Hard Knocks at the top of my class. After 30 years, in the trenches as a Real Estate Professional, I have found that truth is stranger than fiction. My books are filled with characters I met in that profession. Their names were changed to protect the guilty. Others were from people we met traveling around the country in Miranda, our Motorhome. I am married nearly 60 years to the love of my life, Shirl, and partner-produced two exceptionally talented children, and one grandchild who is our pride and joy.

20 thoughts on “The Rainbow Bridge”

  1. What a great story Brenda, I loved it. Sounded wonderful, waking up and being in a wonderful place with your family around you. Lovely job, hugs and love Joni

  2. That was my dream last night! It was wonderful seeing Mom and Lloyd and going fishing with them. Lloyd came home from the war and took on the care and feeding of three kids and treated us like we were his. I was so lucky to have him in my life. My hubby read it and said, “I am glad you didn’t go with them.”

  3. Its so beautifully written. I can’t even image how must you be feeling when you wake up and see that it was such a beautiful dream Ive ever had, and then saw your family around you.

  4. Mom, that was beautiful! Thank you for realizing it wasn’t time yet. We do want to celebrate with you. I love you more, Ya Dawta.

  5. Thank you Dawta, I wasn’t tempted, but did enjoy the dream of going fishing with both of them. I thought of expanding the idea to a book about what I think an would like the afterlife to be like. It was a real dream, that I remembered. We are getting pre-approved, then will look for something. We love you more, too!

  6. The interesting thing is it was a real dream. Both Mom and Lloyd have passed over the rainbow bridge many years ago. This was a real dream and it was so vivid I remembered most of it. I am glad you liked it. My daughter commented and said she was glad I decided to stay. She and our Son want to celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary with us this Christmas.

  7. We’re glad too, you stayed. It isn’t the time. Family needs you.
    We would like all of you to celebrate your 60th Anniversary together. ❣
    Much love

  8. Ritish, thank you for the kind words. We, or rather they are planning a fun get-together at Christmas. There will lots of hugs and a lot of Cribbage. Oh! yes, and food!

  16. Hi Brenda.
    This is a touching story. You’ve brought out various aspects of your life, past and present.
    I’m glad you didn’t cross the bridge and go fishing.
    There’s much more waiting for you right here. 🙂

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