A Sad Day

3/15/2021

Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit."

 It has been a very difficult day. I know that so many people are grieving right now.  There has been a lot of loss over this past year, and it is palpable every day. Today, my family experienced a very personal loss as our almost 15 year old puppy unexpectedly passed away. (I wrote a post featuring her with her picture on March 5th.) One moment she was fine and the next moment she wasn't. When anyone you love leaves you so suddenly immediate shock occurs, and that certainly happened with my family today. 

Pets are family. I know that people who have not experienced the profound blessing of an animals unconditional love may not understand this truth. My family has been blessed three times over, and we have felt loss deeply when each one left us. One grace that we have received from God is that, with all three, we have not had to make the decision to put them to sleep. This is usually not true for most families, and we, even in our grief, are grateful. We are not just grateful this mercy, but we are grateful to have known love so pure in this often ugly and difficult world. Dogs certainly are a peak at heaven. 

It strikes me as I am writing this that my son was a model of God's love to our little girl, who was honestly his. He held her when she was frightened, for he was the only one who could bring her true comfort. He forgave all her iniquities without question. He took care of her every need no matter what they were. He knew her better than anyone else, because he gave her his time and energy. He showed her immeasurable kindness. He sacrificed his comfort for hers. He always put her first, always. There wasn't anything that he would not do for her. He loved her unconditionally with all he had, and she in turn, loved him in equal measure. His model of love for her humbles me to my core and makes grateful that I was able to be a witness to it all. His example is spurring me on to do better, be better, myself. 

Lastly this evening, to our sweet quirky little girl, I want to thank you for making us laugh, for your companionship, for your protection, and for your love, We will miss you and love you forever.