AN ANSWER TO A PRAYER. |
July 03, 2000 She was an answer to a prayer, A cry from the soul to the Lord, Begging Him for help, Help with the pain of loneliness, Help to fill that hole in my heart, Help to fill the void in my life, When I was single, alone, and afraid. The next morning I found her, Under a truck in a parking lot, Starving, weak, and sick. I took her home, I bathed her, fed her, Clipped the thorns and burrs that were stuck, In the matted hair on her little paws. It was a long day, but at day's end, As I crawled into bed, She jumped up on the bed with me, And licked my face, And made me laugh. And I found joy, And forgot my loneliness, And a big void in my heart was filled. And that's when I realized My prayer had been answered. I didn't ask God for a dog, I asked for help with the pain of loneliness, And God knew, oh how He knew! That this little furball, Was exactly what I needed. In the seven years since, She has been a faithful friend, When the children were sick, She'd climb into bed with them, Or on the sofa, wherever they happened to be, And lay there next to them, Comforting them, As if she somehow knew. And when days were hard and I would cry, She'd jump on my lap and lick my tears away. Keeping up with her silly antics, Until my tears turned to laughter. Only then would she leave me, As if to go off and find another mission. But today the tears I shed are for her, And she is not here to wash them away, For less than two hours ago, I had to make one of the most difficult decisions, In my life. I have watched her health deteriorate Over the past year, And have known that this hour would come. And as I carried her body, To the pet cemetery in our yard, Oh how heavy her lifeless form felt in my arms! I raised my eyes to the gray skies, Blurred through my tears, And said aloud, "Thank you, dear Lord, for this precious gift. Thank You." And now she is at rest, Buried in our yard, With a statue of St Francis, Watching over her. |
Rest In Peace, Dear Cookie Our Good and Faithful Companion Oct 30, 1993 - Jul 3, 2000 She was a gift from God, Who gave more than she took. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord!" Job 1:21 |
But the story doesn't end here... |
For three days I grieved, Praying constantly, Feeling God's presence there with me. At one point I prayed, "Oh how this hurts, this loss! And how much more, Does a mother who loses a child hurt?" So I offered up my pain, my grief, For all mothers and fathers who grieve. And the Lord accepted my offering, For in my mind's eye, I saw Him, Coming out of the woods, Into a clearing. And there in His arms was my Cookie, But not the same Cookie, Who had been dying for months, But the Cookie I remembered, When she was young and healthy and playful. The Lord held her out to me, I took her in my arms, She licked my face and made me laugh again! I put her down on the ground, As the Lord picked up a stick, And threw it far away, What a delight it was to see, My Cookie running after it! And the Lord and I laughed together. I felt Him put His arm around my shoulder, And we walked together, He and I, Following my precious, frolicking pet. And I knew that she was okay, And would be okay forever. This prayer could have been my imagination, But even an active imagination is a gift from Him, And because of this prayer experience, I now see Cookie as she used to be, Not as she was before she died. The image of her chasing a stick that Jesus threw, Is the one I see when I think of her. So remember that the scriptures never, ever lie: "Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted." MT 5:4 |
CTherese 2000 |
Background drawing by CTherese © 1982 |
Euthanasia, the last great kindness: When you take your pet's pain & make it your own. ~~Author Unknown~~ |
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