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Lord, please open your gates                                               and call St. Francis
to come escort this beloved companion across the Rainbow Bridge. 
                                                 
                                                Assign him to a place of honor,for he has been a faithful servant
                                                and has always done his best to
                                                please me. 
                                                 
                                                Bless the hands that send him to
                                                you,
                                                for they are doing so in love
                                                and compassion,
                                                freeing him from pain and
                                                suffering. 
                                                 
                                                Grant me the strength not to
                                                dwell on my loss.
                                                Help me remember the details of
                                                his life
                                                with the love he has shown me.
  
                                                And grant me the courage to
                                                honor him
                                                by sharing those memories with
                                                others. 
                                                 
                                                Let him remember me as well
                                                and let him know that I will
                                                always love him.
  
                                                And when it's my time to pass
                                                over into your paradise,
                                                please allow him to accompany
                                                those                                                 who will bring me home. 
                                                 
                                                Thank you, Lord,
                                                for the gift of his
                                                companionship and for the time we've had
                                                together. 
                                                 
                                                And thank you, Lord,
                                                for granting me the strength
                                                to give him to you now. 
                                                 
                                                Amen.  |