Some animals become part of our lives. Others become part of who we are.
In Susan Jaunsen’s Those We Meet at the Rainbow Bridge, Willow is far more than a beloved pet. He is a companion, protector, source of comfort and emotional anchor. His story forms the heart of the book and gives readers a moving example of how deeply an animal can shape a human life.
Willow enters Jaunsen’s world as a small grey-and-white kitten with oversized paws. From the beginning, their connection feels immediate. As he grows into a large, long-haired cat with a snowy chest and white feet, he becomes her constant presence. Wherever she goes in the house, Willow is nearby underfoot in the kitchen, curled beside her on the couch or resting close to her in bed.
What makes their relationship so touching are the ordinary details. Willow greets her at the door, stretches in response when asked whether he wants food and lies across her ankles when she is in pain. When she studies, he settles across her books as though reminding her to pause. During quiet afternoon naps, he rests against her arm while the rest of the world temporarily disappears.
These moments may seem small, but animal lovers understand their importance. Companionship is often built through repetition: the same greeting, the same sleeping place, the same reassuring presence at the end of a difficult day. Over time, those routines become a language of their own.
Jaunsen captures the depth of that bond in one simple reflection: she cared for all her cats, but Willow cared for her.
When Willow suddenly loses the use of his back legs, the diagnosis is devastating. Faced with an irreversible and painful condition, Jaunsen must make the hardest decision a pet owner can face. She holds him close, speaks words of love and tells him to look for those who have gone before him at the Rainbow Bridge.
Willow’s death leaves her overwhelmed by grief. Yet in Those We Meet at the Rainbow Bridge, his story does not end there.
After a serious car accident, Jaunsen experiences a journey to the Rainbow Bridge. She encounters many animals she once loved and helped, including Chloe, Shadow, Oliver, Little Boy, Siam, Smokey and Bama. Their reunion is joyful, but one question remains:
Where is Willow?
The answer unfolds after she returns to life. Jaunsen begins sensing Willow beside her during sleep. She feels the familiar dip in the mattress, the warmth of his resting place and the rhythmic movement of paws kneading the blankets. To her, Willow has remained close, offering comfort until she is ready to let him continue his journey.
Eventually, she understands that love sometimes asks us to release what we most want to hold. She tells Willow that he no longer needs to stay, that she will be all right and that the others are waiting for him. In the book’s spiritual vision, he finally crosses the Bridge not away from her, but ahead of her.
Willow’s lasting gift is the reassurance that love does not become meaningless when a life ends. It remains in memory, habit, gratitude and the strength we carry forward.
Through Those We Meet at the Rainbow Bridge, Susan Jaunsen offers grieving animal lovers a tender possibility: perhaps the bonds that matter most do not disappear. Perhaps they simply change, remaining with us until the day every goodbye becomes a reunion.
