Good morning…
Our nine year old dog went to heaven recently, and what I learned from our choice to release Tate’s spirit from her cancer-filled body helped me this week.
A friend called, distraught. Their ten year old dog had inoperable tumors growing in his liver. He would happily walk their five mile route, then he would suddenly crash when a tumor would rupture. He would muster his strength again, then he would crash. The up and down nature of his condition was exhausting. How could they choose to put him to sleep when his energy and joy kept rebounding?
I taught my friend what Tate taught me: Follow my lead. You will know when it’s time.
Sure enough, the next day when I checked on my friend, her return text read: “Thank you. We are taking our dog in tomorrow. The boys are coming in tonight to say goodbye.”
“Take lots of pictures,” I replied. “My heart is with yours as you do this hard, compassionate thing.”
“This is our Tate before and after she went to heaven,” I texted. “The image of her with Jesus sums up my deepest hope.”
“I have this picture in our bedroom,” she replied. “Been looking at it in a new way.”
“Oh how amazing,” I texted. “What does it say to you now?”
“Just a promise, I think,” she responded. “That he will be carried.”
“What a beautiful promise,” I agreed.
“We said goodbye last night,” she wrote the next morning. “Such sadness.”
“What a sweet face,” I texted. “So lovingly remembered, so deeply missed. He was certainly carried home with strong, gentle arms.”
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever (2 Thessalonians 2:17, NCV).
…Sue…
P.S. Choose to become a beacon of hope in our Atlanta community. Remember to vote for PAWkids once today and each day until July 13th. For our friends to be awarded the $30,000 grant, please vote here: https://thesamehouse.org/actions/pawkids/
