Our Father in Heaven and Lord of all Creation,

Thank you for the gift of Britta and for this memorial in remembrance of her life and the joy and blessings she brought to us.

As we say goodbye to her life here with us, we commit her spirit to your loving care. Set her free to run in the light of your sunshine for all eternity, In Jesus' name, Amen.

In Memory of Little Britta (Brigitta Morgan Gass)
November 1991 to February 17, 2008

Today you are as you were in your youth.
The grass is always green, trees give shade,
butterflies flit among the flowers
and the sun shines gently down upon all of God's creatures.

You can run, jump, play and do all of the things
that you did in your youth.
There is no sickness, no aching joints, and no blindness
and no regrets and no aging.

You left the love of your parents and now we pray, you are with our Father.
Our love never really dies, and you are loved so much and
Missed each day and night, but we pray
That you are warm, in a better place and jubilant.

Pope John Paul II proclaimed that animals like little Britta possess a soul. The Pope said, "Animals exist primarily for God and belong to God. No human being can be justified in claiming absolute ownership of animals for the simple reason that God alone owns creation. The whole work of creation belongs to the plan of salvation."

According to Martin Luther, "In Paradise there is complete harmony between man and animals; one day again that harmony will be restored and all creation will be made anew as Christ will be in all and all."

In the Bible, God's word states the following promises:

Luke 3:6 "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" (NKJ)

Psalm 36:6 "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. "(NRS)

Isaiah 65:25 "The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD. " (NIV)

Revelation 5:8-13 proclaims that all creatures recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world and praise God right along with redeemed men.

Psalm 145: 9-10,13,15-21 tells us that God loves all His creation and has made plans for all His children and the lesser creatures to enjoy His eternal Kingdom.

The Bible is mostly silent about the afterlife of animals, mainly because the Bible is written as a proclamation of the gospel and an instructional manual about the choices humans must make. Rather than attempt to address your presence in heaven directly, I'd like to raise a more practical question: What do you believe heaven is like? If you ask this question of most, you're likely to get a description of a glorious garden, filled with beautiful trees and colorful flowers, with sparkling waters and soft breezes. Very few of us imagine heaven as some sort of giant, sterile concrete parking lot, devoid of life. We base our image of heaven on the beauties of the creation that is Earth.

Does your garden have birds singing in those heavenly trees? Do butterflies flit among the divine flowers? Just as I can't imagine a heaven without plants, neither can I imagine one without animals. Whether animals have souls, I am convinced that there are animals in heaven. And if it is remotely possible to encounter heavenly pets amongst those heavenly flowers and trees, then perhaps it's not such a huge stretch to suppose that one of those might be little Britta.

I believe that God uses little pets like Britta to help humans learn about love. From Little Brittas, we learn mercy, compassion, patience, and understanding -- and we also learn what it means to receive unconditional love.

The Laying of Little Britta

In the evening you would lie ready and impatient at the door
Longer when I was away on travel
And you would run in circles greeting me or tug on your green squeaker
You looked for mom when you were alone with me
And you looked for me when you are alone with mom
You loved to be with one of us all day long.

Your love for us was so rich and so unconditional
You were my friend, confidant, trusted companion
You knew mom's funny names:
Spankin Girls, Little Teeth, Flat Chin, Small Head
She talked and sang in joy to you from her heart
Everyday was a gift to walk you and share your life.

Sometimes you would show us your sweet teeth
Your tail has always been a slow wagger
But your eyes were big and round and deep in color
You could talk to us through your eyes from your heart.
You never barked except when playing.
We love you deeply, our little Britta girl.

I loved it when you would cuddle up against my leg at night
You took us on walks and to the beach,
To the store and to Grandma's
You opened presents by yourself on Christmas
We took you wherever we could and
You would get so excited to get your coat for the car.

The internal pain, the hole, the deep cut from our lives is only offset
By all that you gave us and His grace
But your absence to me is dark in my despair
And our tears flow in your sweet memory
"Better to have loved than not at all"
But your loss and void from our lives seems so difficult to accept.

We pray that you are living the reward for all the rich blessings you were to us
A true gift from God that has touched our lives forever
Now we put you back to earth in the trust that God will raise you up to the sunny hillside, that you will shed your age and gain your sight, and
That you now live in warmth and light playing in the grasses.

You are God's creation in peace and our sweet little Britta forever.

We love you, Britta and your loss hurts.