Music playing ~ "Paradise"
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Whisper My Name (by Terri Onorato)
The voice of an angel sings softly, 
her glorious song fills the airbridging the gap between heaven and earth with the message of life that she shares… "Hope is the backdrop of Heaven love is the framework of hearts truth is the freedom from worry and fear and compassion is where it all starts. While able, live life to the fullest don't hoard all your love till the end for the time that you lose in the process can never be captured again. My life as you know it is over but my spirit and love they remain trust me to guide you each step of the way, have faith, simply whisper my name." |
On July 9th, 1999 heaven welcomed a new angel and her name
is Marge. Before I met Marge she had been given the nickname of Sunshine by her online friends because of
her sunshiney nature. Eventually it was shortened to Shine which is so appropriate because she was an earthly
beacon of light in our lives...a glowing brilliance that continues to shine upon us from the heavens.
I was introduced to Shine by
my kindred sister spirit Mattie (aka Cowgirl) and after we got to know each
other better I began calling Marge my "Mama Shine". The three of us became "sisters" and
by golly we acted like it too! Cowgirl saved my broken heart after the loss of my greyhound Misty Blue and
Shine was always there for me when I needed a little mothering (and they didn't hesitate to
give me the what-for when I was being a brat!) We shared countless laughs as well as tears on three
terrific forums on Prodigy Classic. Pets to Heaven, Canine Conversation and
Mag Six were communities unlike any other and we had some hysterically funny times on
Canine Conversation and Mag Six while we shed many tears on Pets to Heaven.
Let me explain a little bit about Canine
Conversation - it was not a forum for humans but instead belonged to our dogs and they did all the
conversing. Trust me, dogs talk about everything and hold back nothing! Shine's kitty Bubba wanted
to be on Canine Conversation and so the dogs made him an honorary dog. Now
try and picture sweet Bubba learning to howl. I don't think I ever laughed so hard as I did when Bubba
was trying to howl only to end up meowing - Arrrooooeeeooowwwwwlllll! Nothing brought a smile to my face
faster than logging on to see Bubba's patented greeting, "How ya be?"
Seeing as how the animals had taken over Canine Conversation we created a bulletin board called Mag Six and believe me if we let our respective guards down for one minute we were in deep trouble! Shine, Cowgirl and myself (the three sisters), Chuck, Jeannie Beanie and Pat made up the Magnificent Six. We had a blast on that board and Shine would playfully protect me from the others (I'm the youngest) but wouldn't hesitate to kick my online butt if I misbehaved. LOL!
Shine and I had a falling out once about something that, when I look back on it now, was so ridiculous that I can't believe I started it! I was mad at Shine and Shine was mad at me but neither one of us was going to make the first move. Was I going to admit how much I missed our afternoon phone conversations while Shine was home from work on her lunch break? No. Was I going to admit I made a mistake and apologize? No. Geez, I really was a brat! But one night Shine's husband Chuck, affectionately known as Bro or Wrabbit (don't ask) got on the phone with me and played mediator between Shine and myself. Well the next thing you know I was crying and Shine was crying and we made up!
Just when you think you've got it all figured out, you've met your online friends in person as we were able to do with Shine and Chuck, you've made plans and are looking to the future, life throws a major curve in the works. Some curves are small and some are insurmountable and after a while you have no choice but to learn.
When Chuck told me that Shine had been diagnosed with cancer I kept the majority of my true feelings to myself. At first I was in total denial, most likely to shut off the pain and terror that was surfacing. There was no way my delightful, loving friend could have such a terrible disease. As time went by I began to accept the fact that Shine did indeed have cancer but like Chuck and Cowgirl I refused to believe she wouldn't make it. Not once during Shine's entire illness, which spanned almost two years, did we ever think she would not survive. From the time we heard the diagnosis until the day she left for heaven we believed without a doubt that she would make it. We simply believed.
Fred and I were blessed with being able to meet Shine and
Chuck in person. They visited our home and later on we visited them. Shine was so easy to be around, she
pulled no punches and was thoroughly delightful. Cowgirl, her husband Don, Shine, Chuck, myself and Fred
were in the early planning stages of a get together. Aside from that,
I had a deeply personal and private vision of a get together, one that I held onto with great hope...I pictured a reunion in the driveway of Shine and Chuck's house where I would get out of
the car, see Shine healthy and well after all her treatments were through, and we would hug and cry. I saw
this vision every day and was so sure it would happen.
Shortly before what turned out to be Shine's last trip to the hospital for a month's worth of treatments, her beloved St. Bernard Meesha went
to Rainbow Bridge. It was a very difficult time for Shine and Chuck but they stuck together and helped
each other through the pain of their loss. Little did anyone know that Meesha would not be without Shine
for long. On July 9th, 1999, the day originally slated for Shine to go home after her month long stay in
the hospital she went home to heaven instead.
I spoke with Chuck several hours before Shine passed on to heaven and at that time I still didn't believe she wouldn't make it. I was so sure she had much left to do here...there was no way she could be done yet. As it turns out Shine isn't done but it seems she's doing what she needs to do from the other side. Follow me and you'll see what I mean.
*Portrait Of An Angel Website*
All poems, photos and stories, unless
otherwise noted, are copyrighted © by Terri Onorato and cannot be reprinted
or reproduced. The fact that the poems, photos and stories are distributed via the Internet
does not release them from their creator's copyright privilege.
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