I've periodically written in on
Five Doves and recently read your post and wanted
to respond.
I'm so
sorry for the loss of your dog, Oreo! I hope
this will bring you and your daughter great
comfort. Like so many others, I can definitely
relate to your heartache.
Let me
share two things with you from my own experience
that hopefully will help you with your grief and
give you hope regarding animals in Heaven.
In
2006 I lost my beautiful, purebred, Siamese
cat, Amelia. I'd purchased her 15 years
earlier along with a male, seal point kitten
and raised them together as brother and
sister. The two were like my children. I loved them more than
words can say.
Just after her 15th birthday,
Amelia was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was
heartbroken! Although I did everything I could
to save her life and to make her as comfortable
as possible, it became clear she had to be put
down. The morning this was to occur, I was
holding her in my arms crying in the living room
of my home, when I heard a male voice call my
name. He said, "Do not worry. We will carry her
right to the arms of Jesus."
I know beyond a shadow of
a doubt that my Guardian Angel was the one who
said this to me that day as there was no one
else in the house but me at the time. However, her
passing left a hole in my heart and a sadness
I thought nothing could ever fix. I cried
myself to sleep nightly questioning God as to
why this happened and prayed daily that I
would eventually see her again.
Since I'd been a Christian for
many years at the time of her death my faith in
Christ was very strong. I knew if God could
raise His Son from the dead, He could raise
Amelia and give her new life as well.
Someday we'd be reunited.
About two weeks after she died,
I was driving home from work late one night. I'd
had a long day and it was about 11:00pm. I was
alone in the car and the roads were dark and
bare. No one was really out at that time. As I
drove along, I talked to God about the day's
activities, trying to put it all behind me. I
was looking out the windshield of my car when
suddenly, I saw a vision in the night sky. It
was my cat, Amelia! She was outside in the
sunshine on vibrant green grass (something she'd
never done on earth as she was an indoor cat)
dancing around and playing with a group of the
most beautiful butterflies I'd ever seen! Doing
a double take, I said out loud, "Amelia!"
(Of course, she could not hear me.)
Immediately I pulled over! I sat
on the side of the road and watched in amazement
with tears of joy streaming down my face. She
was completely healthy and young again, and
looked as happy as happy could be! In fact, she
and the butterflies seemed to somehow be
communicating with one another with sweet
playful gestures and Heavenly melodies... almost
as if she was talking to her new best friends. I
knew she was Home and my Guardian Angel had done
exactly what he'd promised to do!
The vision ended within a few
minutes and the sky returned to black. I sat in
my car in astonishment unable to do anything but
praise God for His mercy that He would show me
this, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that
God's Children will most definitely see their
beloved pets again.
Unfortunately, I had a similar
experience with another cat about a year ago. My
cat, Lily, was diagnosed with an inoperable lung
tumor and passed away. The day that she died was
very difficult and I spent most of it in tears,
again crying out to God in pain and heartache.
Later that evening when I picked up my Bible and
opened my devotional, I read the story of
Lazarus passing away and the verse, "Jesus
wept." The devotional went on to say that when
we lose a beloved family member, friend, or pet,
we need to know that Jesus weeps with us. He
cares. He loves us. He gave this gift to us and
He shares in our heartache firsthand. The date
of this devotional was the exact day that Lily
died. When I closed the book and bowed my head
in prayer I heard the Lord say to my spirit,
"Remember the vision of Amelia. You will
see Lily and Amelia again. Keep the faith."
This brought me tremendous
peace. Nevertheless, the grief process still
had to run it's course. It's been many months
of missing small moments with her, looking at
her pictures and becoming teary eyed,
wondering what's she's doing in Heaven, etc.
To ease the pain, I started praying that Peter
would watch over her, that James would play
with her, that Mary would brush her fur and
scratch her ears, and that each of my Heavenly
siblings would shower her with tons of love
until I get Home. I'm sure when I get there
Lily (and all of my other childhood pets) will
have many wonderful tales to share with me and
I can't wait!! Plus I know she has so many
other wonderful animals like Oreo to explore
God's Paradise with, doing things she never
got a chance to do down here! : )
Again my heart goes out to you
and your daughter for your loss. I know the
heartache you feel and I grieve with you, but I
encourage you to keep the faith. God loves you
and Oreo! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt
that we will all see our pets again!
God Bless,
His Faith Hope & Love