Monday, November 26, 2018


as you hold out the word of life - in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
Philippians 2:16

How are you on this first Monday after Thanksgiving? We had a hard week. Last Tuesday we had to say goodbye to a wonderful friend who has been in our house for 11 years, our West Highland Terrier, Lena.

 We found a lump on her back two weeks before. It was huge, and hard and I knew right away it wasn't good. The doctor agreed with me. He ran some tests and found it was cancer. The next day I had to get on a plane to Chicago fro my daughter's swearing in by the Chicago Supreme Court as an Attorney.

I was torn.  I wanted to stay home, but decided I needed to go to Chicago. Once I arrived I was fine, and my son Matthew watched after Lena at home. My greatest heartache was thinking she would die while I was away, but by God's grace, she didn't.

We had a wonderful time with Rachel in Chicago although it was 20 degrees. We didn't care much. Coming home to Lena was a blessing. She wasn't any better but she wasn't any worse either.

We had a week of no change, but last Monday she didn't seem right. By Tuesday she wasn't eating, and didn't want to move much. She had trouble breathing. I knew it was time. The day before I took her to the vet, and I felt the Lord say to me, "you will be back here tomorrow."

I wasn't suprised, but my heart ached, and I cried. My golden retreiver had an appointment at another vet in East Islip for surgery. I went there with Matthew my son, knowing what I must do when I got home. How I wished I could avoid saying goodbye to Lena!

I knew since I saw that lump it was a serious problem, but now actually having to face it troubled me. She was very sick by the time I got home, and when we arrived at the doctor, her blood pressure was low, and he said she was pale. 

I don't know why I'm writing this today. I didn't plan on it. Last week we also had a broken washer and a job loss in the family. Life can be just plain rotten at times, but the overall adventure is worth every mile, bacause as Paul writes, "I did not run or labor for nothing." All of our lives have meaning, and value with its ups and downs. God is good, and He intends for all of the hicupps to work out. 



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