Not back to the house where Cathy and I rent thanks to the kindness of Brian and Peggy, but to the home I look forward to. The one that cannot be taken away.
I hate that dogs age so fast, it does not seem fair that a puppy with such vibrant energy, love and loyalty should ever change and not expect to live beyond its teens, if even that long. They age 7 times faster than us, can we expect to have 7 such friends waiting for us as we enter the doorway of our home in Heaven?
She got an extra large breakfast and ate till she was full. I took some pictures of her and Kayleigh hugging and then a short video of her heading for the door knowing it would be her last.
I had the hardest time getting her into the car, she could not jump up like she used to and had to be picked up. As the pain of moving around increased and her fragile body tired of seeing and hearing she had a hard time controlling her waste, She was vomiting and voiding blood frequently and did not have the strength to climb stairs.
The drive was long and she was silent as she slept in the back seat next to her favorite bone. We went inside the vet's office where Jessica our daughter-in-law is a veterinary assistant.. The Doctor came in and administered the medicine, I knelt beside her and Cathy and I gently smoothed her hair and told her how much we loved her, we stayed with her till she was gone. My Son Joshua will bury her in his back yard along with Casey, Angel's playmate when she was a puppy as we no longer own a house.
She was like a puppy for 12 years, running around with joy and chasing the toys we played with. She love to chase the wild rabbits in the back yard, except once on a Good Friday [really] when she caught one of them..... Before she stated getting sick on the furniture, she was my nightly TV watching companion keeping the chair clean of the occasional crumbs from the snacks we would eat together.
As we prepare to move once again, I realize that home here is temporary, fleeting and imperfect. The home we are longing for is perfect and forever. God himself will be with us and there will be no more crying, death or pain. Angel is my faithful, loving and accepting friend who I miss deeply and look forward to the way she used to greet us with the nod of her head and the kisses she would slobber us with. She waits with many others on the other side of the door of home.
I will be 70 by the time my newest dog Max turns 12. I wonder who will make it home first?
Bill Sullivan, the Physically Challenged ministry www.pc-min.com
1 Peter 2:11 MSG
Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.
