Greater Love

             A year ago, we had to make the most miserable of decisions. A year ago, we had to let our dear Logan pass away. A year ago, we had to ask for help in letting our 13-year-old Logan slip the bonds of earthly living and move on to free fields and clover. A year ago.

            In the time since, we've moved on, but with a seriousness not previously found. Seriously. We haven't accepted the offers of any other dogs (we have four), deciding instead to love the ones we have with an attentiveness we might not ever had. She was such a sweetie, in the top three of all that we've had, that we don't want to dishonor her memory by accepting just anyone, if you know what I mean.         

            Briefly, this was Logan. Both Mary and I awoke about 5:30, as the darkness still covered the earth, and we decided this was enough. She had lay on a pillow breathing but not much more for far too long. It was enough. Her strength reached the stage where nothing but her breathing showed her to be alive, and it broke my heart with each breath. There was nothing more the three of us could do together, and the helplessness we felt was beyond any in a long, long time, back to the death watch with my mom eight years past.

            To the end Logan’s heart was strong as it carried her around the house, noticeably tangling with that dang ol’ thing we call death.  But her great inner strength waned as she stopped eating Saturday, then lay down as if she knew there was no need any more. Frequent visits to the vet had provided nothing but consolation and shed tears. Over and over we went, till the last one this morning.

            Till Logan, nor Mary, nor I could let this go on.

            Till it is was simply enough, if you know what I mean, and many, many of you certainly do.

            I’m not sure the good all die young, as Billy Joel told us, but the good die fighting sometimes. And sometimes the fight is enough.

            The Bible isn't all that clear on the fate of pets. But in the book of Revelation, it says this in the fifth chapter, the 11th verse:

            "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever."

            To me that means there will be creatures in heaven. And what better creatures to sing than the dogs (and cats and three or four ferrets and two tremendously unsettling hedge hogs along the way)? To me, that means there will be creatures in heaven. And what better creatures to sing than the dogs (and cats and three or four ferrets and a couple completely unreasonable hedge hogs) along the way.

            I’ve still working on this unconditional love stuff. But I suspect I have had, and will have pretty good guides.