Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly,
Birds fly over the rainbow,
Why then, oh why can’t I?

I’ve often wondered why so many songs have been written about rainbows and what's on the other side. There seems to be something magical about rainbows with their beautiful array of colors and their gleaming arch.

My friend Judy burst into my office before leaving for home one night. With great excitement she said, “Do you want to hear about the rainbow I saw on the way home last night? I thought you might want to hear about it.” I replied with a definite, “Yes!”

She told me that she left the parking lot of the office and saw this most incredible rainbow. She began driving and continued following it. She even made some turns in the road and, sure enough, the rainbow was ahead of her. She felt she was being guided. Judy told me that the rainbow led her all the way home which was a 45-minute drive. She could still see it and wondered where it ended.

When I was a child, I recall running along the curbs splashing along in the street puddles with my sisters and brother after a big rain. I’d look up and see the multicolored arch, always wondering where it ended. I was told there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

My friend Jeanne met the man of her dreams over three years ago, quite by accident. She was fixing up her little apartment and went across the hall to where her friend Kelly lived. Several workmen were painting and drywalling and Jeanne introduced herself. She asked if anyone wanted to help her with a project she was working on. A guy up on a ladder turned around and looked down at Jeanne and smiled. He told her he would check how she was doing at the end of the day. She felt an intense and familiar connection with him. When John came over to her place after work, he and Jeanne worked for several hours on her project of assembling the complicated computer armoire. Jeanne offered to pay him but he declined. John was willing to help Jeanne because of his genuine, caring nature. They began dating and going places together. They had their own careers and yet were like two peas in a pod. They shared so much. Jean and John liked working on projects, talking, laughing and just being together in whatever they did. They adored one another and truly were soulmates.

I recall that John needed a couch for his apartment. I had one that opened into a queen size bed. John and his two young sons, Mitch and Ray (whom he absolutely adored), met Jeanne at my house to look it over. It was a warm summer day. We were outside in the backyard and I opened up the couch for them to “test out” the bed. The boys got on it first, then Jeanne and then John. All four of them were looking up at the sun and sky and laughing like four frisky kids. John wanted a sofa bed so that when he had the boys on weekends they could all sleep together like a pajama party. I looked at all of them and saw the love that was there. Jean and John were so lucky to have one another and John’s sons were so blessed to have such a loving father. Jeanne always kept us updated on what was going on in their lives. She had found the gold at the end of her rainbow.

I received a phone call the morning of the 23rd of December telling me that John had died the night before of a massive heart attack. He was only 46-years-old. Jeanne and all John’s family and friends were shocked and devastated. It was totally unexpected.

Jeanne told me about her last day with John. She was listening to a radio program in her car and heard an extraordinary interview with the woman who lost her husband on the mountain in Oregon. Her husband was the love of her life. She said that her last conversation with her beloved was in telling each other how much they loved one another. Her advice to the listeners was, “Hold those near and dear to you very close at all times. Never let one day go by without telling the people you love, ‘I love you.’”

Jeanne was so moved hearing this woman's story that she felt an intense urgency to call John. When he answered, she blurted out, “Did I tell you today that I love you?” He replied, “Yes, as a matter of fact, you did.” She continued, “I love you even more now.” John responded, “I love you so much, sweetie. I owe you so much... I owe you my life.” They continued talking about their plans for the Christmas holiday which was only two days away. John died that night.

We all experience losses of all kinds. With so many businesses closing, people losing their jobs, foreclosures and losses of our loved ones, it almost seems unbearable at times.

Two days after John passed away, I was at a store that I had been going to for many years – Purple Haze in Birmingham, MI. They were going to be closing their doors for the last time that day. I walked around collecting what I could from this store that brought me back to my hippie days. I was sad at the thought of its closing and was lost in the atmosphere of another era in time. My cell phone rang; it was Jeanne. Upon hearing her voice, I was riveted back to the reality of her loss of John. We talked for awhile and I consoled her as best as I could. She wasn’t aware that Purple Haze was closing their doors and I could tell that she would miss it, too. The owner gave me a purple Christmas tree bulb from their decorations as a reminder of this special place. I asked why they were closing and Beatrice, the owner, told me it was time to move on – time to do other things in life. It was time!

Jeanne is handling her loss remarkably well. She told me that John was always drawn to her positive nature and wouldn’t want her to be unhappy. John is the love of her life and will remain with her forever. He touched everyone’s life in a most extraordinary way. John’s spirit of love, compassion and joy was incredible and he continues to give Jeanne signs which strengthen her belief that life continues on.

We may not know what is at the end of the rainbow but as I’ve read, “Believe that the rainbow is a ray of prism lights falling to earth, lighting our pathway into heaven.” Thus came the saying of finding your “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

Rainbows have no ending. And so it is with our spirit. There is no ending, only the continuation of the spiritual essence of our soul. Love is eternal and never ends.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

Gerri Magee is director of advertising and public relations and assistant to the editor of phenomeNEWS. She continues to share her thoughts “On The Path” in this column. She can be reached at gerri@phenomenews.com.