![]() ![]() You can read Paul's entire article here which includes some heartwarming stories of Edna and the amazing life she has lived.ĭo you have a story about the Rainbow Bridge and how it has helped you through the loss of a beloved pet? We would love to hear your stories and if you have any please do leave them in the comments section below. I believe that Paul has found the original author and she has an amazing and profound love for animals. Many people have claimed the ownership of the original poem through the years but none have officially been confirmed the author. Edna never knew up until recently how much of an impact her poem has had on so many pet owners, who like her lost someone very special to them. ![]() Many people often say that their pet has crossed over the rainbow bridge into the afterlife. It's become a part of the nomenclature of a pet passing on to the other side. Since that publication, The Rainbow Bridge poem has become synonymous with pet loss and grief. Interestingly the poem was submitted by an anonymous contributor who went by "An old softy in Grand Rapids, Michigan." Edna's gentle words touched hearts all across the country. When Rainbow Bridge was published in 1994, Dear Abby had over 100 million readers in various newspapers across the country. It was through this small group of loved ones that the poem somehow ended up in the hands of Dear Abby here in the United States. She did finally decided to type out the poem, each page individually, and hand them out to friends and family. The poem held great personal meaning for her and still does to this day. Yet it wasn't so private that she wouldn't show it to a few close friends. However, Edna refused saying it was a private poem between her and Major. He liked it so much he said she should have it published. She showed the poem to a few people she was close to, but after that it was put away for a long while.Įdna married Jack Rekhy and did show him her poem. As you can see from the pictures above she never did. She had quickly erased what was written on the back of the page and continued to complete her poem and then title it "Rainbow Bridge"Īfter she completed the poem Edna showed it to her mother who said "My darling girl, you are very special." She also pointed out how messy the writing was, and asked if Edna would write it out again on fresh paper. The original poem was written on a page of her sister's notebook which she in her bout of inspiration didn't realize had already been written on. Experts and scholars have speculated biblical or theological origins of The Rainbow Bridge, but when asked if the poem was inspired by anything of that sort she insisted that that was not the case at all. She felt more that Major was guiding her from the other side as she wrote, to help her through the grief of his passing. The grief and loss of Major was her true motivation to write. She said that there was no real inspiration from a place she imagined in her mind. Sometimes I would just sit and talk to him, and I felt that he could understand every word that I said." Which I know from personal experience as many of those reading will too, our pets have a special connection with us where they seem to understand us in a deeper level. In talking to Paul about Major she said: "He was a very special dog. It was over 63 years ago when she wrote the original poem and it was in honor of her dog Major, who had passed away when she was only 19 years old. The beautiful mind behind the pen is Edna Clyne-Rekhy and she is currently 82 years old, living in her homeland of Scotland, with her two puppies Zannussi and Missy. After the poem had been published for 30 years in the United States, finally we can give credit to the original author. Over at The Order of The Good Death, Paul Koudounaris has shared the story of the creation of the original Rainbow Bridge Poem. That mystery has now been solved and the beautiful mind who wrote this poem has been discovered. Since 1994, the search for who wrote the original poem has been an active mystery. On February 20th 1994, Dear Abby published one of the most recognizable poems about the love we have for our pets. This poem has helped many people through grief filled times, yet no author was ever mentioned.
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