Blessing the Bridge: What Animals Teach Us About Death, Dying and Beyond & Ask the Cow: a Gentle Guide to Finding Peace

About The Author:    Rita M. Reynolds

Rita Reynolds founder of the Animals' Peace Garden, has been writing since she was seven years old and tending to creatures since she was eight. Now early into her sixth decade, Rita shows no signs of slowing down or changing what she has always loved to do, except to expand all that she has discovered, learned, and experienced on a global scale. "Unconditional compassion and respect for all other beings is essential if, as a planet, we are to survive," she believes. And, she is quick to state, it begins with respecting ourselves, those right around us, and moves out from there. Not so long ago the refrigerator's compressor broke. As it was summer, the repairman was kind enough to come immediately, leaving Rita no time to tidy up the house before his arrival. As he walked through the door, Rita apologized for the disarray, helped in a great part by the current cat and dog residents. The repairman looked around, nodding his head."No need to apologize," he said gently as he stepped over Tobe, one of the most ancient of the dogs; "there is a lot of love here, a lot of love."  And that, Rita believes, is what life-and home-should be about.

Blessing the Bridge (2001, NewSage Press) was written from many years’ personal experiences to offer help and encouragement to those people experiencing the difficult loss of a companion animal. The book also provides ways to ease the deathing process for their companion, including use of color and sound, prayer, and accessing inner guidance among other ways.

Ask the Cow, a Gentle Guide to Finding Peace (2008 Publishing Works, Inc.) also is meant to fill a need: How to find a measure of inner peace, balance, and strength in the midst of such loss and in all the stresses of our daily lives. Christina, the profound bovine teacher and resident cow offers basic, easy to apply lessons to help us all.