We were grieved to lose yet another pet - and one we had just gotten to know. Peewee, after only being with us for a week, had to be euthenized yesterday due to a serious illness . He had been on an antibiotic and an anti-parasitic medicine due to issues we noticed when he "found us". When we took him back in for a follow up, he not only hadn't gotten any better, he had gotten worse. The Vet, based on his experience, felt that the outlook wasn't good for him and Sue and I didn't want to prolong any suffering so, once again we had to make the difficult choice. We were pretty bummed. So was Josiah. But, these things are all learning times; times when we can talk with Josiah about the harsh realities of life, and the goodness of God in the midst of them. He cried. We cried. And we move forward.
The sadness of losing Peewee came after a sad weekend. I was asked to lead a memorial service for a seven year old girl who unexpectedly passed away about two weeks ago. There is nothing more heartbreaking than to see parents struggling through something like this. Making it more difficult was the fact that I didn't know this family, and they live out of state so any kind of follow up will be a challenge. Needless to say, after the trip to the Vet, I was kind of emotionally spent by last night.
But, this morning I myself was reminded of God's goodness and hope. I was able to visit with a young couple from our church who just welcomed a new little boy into their lives. "Myles" was born last night and was peacefully sleeping in his daddy's arms while we visited. What an awesome and beautiful scene! As I drove back to the church to get to work on all the stuff that I have going for this week and this weekend, there was a peace in my heart. In the midst of all the sadness, there was still reason to rejoice. A child was born! Thank you, Lord, for Christmas, and THE CHILD - Jesus - that was born to bring us joy and hope.
