Thanks for the postings. I printed off the story and poem and read the story of Della and her kittens on the Petloss site and it was a two tissue story. This is going to sound odd, but I'm not ready to spend much time at either site -- in some ways, the pain is too new. It brings to mind all the beloved pets the family has lost the past couple of years -- three for my parents and two for my kids and I. Of those, two went suddenly and young (2 & 5) and the other three had to be put down for age and cancer and arthritis. The elder dogs were 12, 15, & 16, so we had time with them and were able to "prepare" for their deaths. The two younger ones were shocks and then there is the guilt, "If I had only....." So, I try to remember the best times with my girls and look at the endings a little at a time. Someone first introduced us to the Rainbow Bridge when Mother's Border Terrier CC died of virulent pneumonia a couple of years ago. It was so good to read such a sensitive poem that really made you feel that the pet IS waiting and, perhaps, watching over us. Well, this is threatening to get REALLY emotional -- thanks for letting me share and thanks again for the sites. One day I'll go spend some time at each one and learn the candle ceremony.